The Maldives vs Climate Change: Saving the Planet One Island at a Time.

By John Ryland | Contributing Writer

Editor’s Note: This story is a great introduction to the effects climate change is having on the Maldives. If you’d like to find out more about the issue, then we highly recommend checking out “The Island President,” which is available on Netflix.

The Maldives is made up of 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean, and the popular holiday destination is under major threat from the rising sea levels caused by climate change.

In a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it has been predicted that the sea level will rise between 0.23 to 0.47 m by the end of the century. As the islands highest point is only two meters above sea level, it will become uninhabitable for its current residents.

The 2°C rise in the world’s average temperatures in the next decades will also impact the Maldives through extreme weather patterns. This will have detrimental consequences on livelihoods and health. In order to combat this, the Maldives has created a Strategic Plan of Action (2009-2013). The strategy has been formed to provide actionable solutions for environmental sustainability, climate change and carbon emissions.

These focus on issues such as flood and drainage management, rainwater harvesting, and coral reef monitoring.

The Maldives plans to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions and carbon neutrality by 2020, through the use solar power to generate power and improve energy efficiency, as well as an effective waste management system. Its strategy is to lessen the impact of climate change through investment in infrastructure, renewable energy, flood defenses, drought and heat resistant crops and improved management of surface and groundwater.

Climate change work in the Maldives is supported with financing provided by the European Union and AusAID through a multi-donor trust fund. Reaching the target of a carbon neutral energy sector by the year 2020 is of high priority to the government of Maldives.

In July, the United States government pledged US$9.7 million to the Maldives. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide $7.2 million towards global climate change adaptation, and $2.5 million as assistance towards election preparations.

The four candidates seeking the presidency include Gasim Ibrahim of the Jumhoree Party, Dr Mohamed Waheed the independent, incumbent president, Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party of the Maldives, and Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldivian Democratic Party, and former President.

Approximately 240,000 Maldivians will be eligible to vote in the September 7 election. Transparency will be monitoring the election, along with the UK, EU, Commonwealth and UN. It is important for to political stability to be regained in the Maldives, so that parties can work together to implement actions against the effects of climate change.