As alluded to in my previous post, the Maldives is an island nation seriously threatened at present by ongoing changes to the climate and the oceans. Mohamed Nasheed, president from 2008 to 2012, was interviewed for the short film below, Small Islands, Big Impact, in which he speaks of his nation’s plight and asks for much needed international efforts of cooperation and change. He notes problems of coastal erosion as well as reductions in tuna catches due to warming oceans. The injustice of the situation has been realised now that the people know that the part they play in causing the change is tiny compared to the rest of the world.
Not only does Nasheed feel that climate change is a human rights issue, he also argues for its case quite understandably as an environmental issue, but also as a security issue. Consequently, he likens international support for Poland in the 30s, and Vietnam in the 50s and 60s, to the defence needed for his nation today. During his Presidency, he attempted to mitigate climate change and bring it to the public’s attention by appearing on American TV shows such as The Daily Show and the Late Show with David Letterman.
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| Maldives underwater conference a publicity stunt |
Ahead of the 2009 UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, an underwater conference was held in which Maldivian ministers signed a document calling for other nations to cut their carbon emissions (BBC 2009). Quite importantly, at the 2009 climate talks, plans were announced by Nasheed to eliminate or offset all of the nations greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020! You may this is a massive change but it is supported by the argument that:
"For us swearing off fossil fuels is not only the right thing to do, it is in our economic self-interest…Pioneering countries will free themselves from the unpredictable price of foreign oil; they will capitalize on the new green economy of the future, and they will enhance their moral standing giving them greater political influence on the world stage." (President Mohamed Nasheed 2009)
Migration is, and has been, an option for those at risk of rising sea levels in the Maldives. In 2008 Nasheed announced plans to purchase land in Sri Lanka, India, and even Australia as a result (Ramesh 2008). This though would obviously come at a great price, both financially and culturally. He explained his reasoning for these quite significant plans:
“We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades”
Efforts therefore have also seen the building of a 3 metre high concrete wall around the capital, Malé, at a cost of $63 million which was effectively paid for with Japanese aid money (BBC 2004). Additionally, forestation efforts have been implemented in order to reduce the effects of coastal erosion while environmental science is given high priority in all schools.
While traditionally attempts at adaptation have seen the building of physical barriers to the sea, Nasheed believes the most important issue today is that of good governance. The Maldives has recently become a democracy and without this system of good governance, he feels that vital resources would be wasted in the future when the impacts of climate change intensify.
References
BBC (2004) ‘Maldives: paradise soon to be lost’ (WWW), London: BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3930765.stm; 30 December 2012).
BBC (2009) ‘Maldives cabinet makes a splash’ (WWW), London: BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8311838.stm; 30 December 2012).
Nasheed, M. (2009) ‘Climate change gridlock: where do we go from here? part 1’ (WWW), Oakland, CA: Radio Project (http://www.radioproject.org/2011/06/climate-change-gridlock-where-do-we-go-from-here-part-1; 30 December 2012).
Ramesh, R. (2008) ‘Paradise almost lost: Maldives seek to buy a new homeland’ (WWW), London: The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/10/maldives-climate-change; 30 December 2012).
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