Climate change may sink Maldives

September 28, 2007 - 6:45PM

Unless the world starts taking climate change seriously, the Maldives could become uninhabitable this century, the president of the Indian Ocean archipelago Maumoon Abdul Gayoom says.

With a United Nations climate panel forecasting world sea levels likely to rise by up to 59cm by 2100 due to global warming, the clock is ticking, he said.

"Time is running out for us," Gayoom told Reuters.

"Global warming and sea-level rise pose a clear and present danger for the Maldives and its people.

"Three-quarters of our 1,200 islands lie no higher than four feet above mean sea-level. The projected rise in sea-levels by the end of this century could mean that our islands may become uninhabitable at that time."

Gayoom said the international community could help prevent his nation sinking into a watery grave if it shook off inaction and self-interest and built the political will to tackle climate change.

"The 1997-1998 El Nino led to the bleaching of our surface corals. The unprecedented tidal surges that were experienced simultaneously on nearly 80 islands earlier this year were a stark reminder that weather patterns were becoming both unpredictable and unsavoury," he said.

"All these effects compound our concern as our narrow-based economy is dependent on fisheries and tourism. Both sectors face a real danger of collapse if current trends continue during the coming decades."

Tourism is the linchpin of the Maldives' $US700 million ($A796.9 million) economy.

The island chain is renowned for its luxury resorts - accommodation in pavilions on stilts over turquoise lagoons can run to well over $US1,000 ($A1,140) a night.

The playground for Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise is also famed for its white sand beaches and world-class snorkelling and scuba diving.

Only 195 of the Maldives' islands are inhabited, but 93 of those are suffering from erosion. And the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami exposed just how vulnerable all the islands are.

While geography helped save the Maldives from the death and destruction that devastated countries such as neighbouring Sri Lanka, authorities had to evacuate 13 islands completely.

"If climate change continues unchecked, local mitigation measures will not be sufficient to safeguard my people," Gayoom said.

"Our very survival depends on the discussions being held on the global stage."

"The science of climate change has advanced in leaps and bounds. Yet, we have so far failed to agree on effective cuts in greenhouse gas emissions," he added.

"The problem, in my view, is a lack of commitment."

Gayoom said it was unfair to expect the world's industrialised nations, such as the United States, to shoulder the burden of climate change alone, and that developing countries Brazil, India and China were also big greenhouse gas emitters.

December's climate change meeting in Bali would be crunch time, he said.


"At Bali, the world must agree on more substantial emissions reductions," he added.

"It must also serve as an opportunity to bring aboard those currently outside the Kyoto process."

Gayoom is organising a climate change summit in the Maldives on November 13-14, and has a simple message.

"I call on all my fellow world leaders to take heed of scientific warnings, and show greater commitment in our search for a concrete solution to climate change.

"The 300,000 people of the Maldives are putting their faith in your judgment.

"Their survival is in your hands."

© 2007 Reuters, Click for Restrictions



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