Global warming has the residents of the Maldives worried. Their entire country has a maximum five feet elevation of over sea level. And their new government has a plan to fix it. But if you’re interested in experiencing the country’s pristine waters, you may want to make plans to visit now rather than later:
The Maldives will begin to divert a portion of the country’s billion-dollar annual tourist revenue into buying a new homeland – as an insurance policy against climate change that threatens to turn the 300,000 islanders into environmental refugees, the country’s first democratically elected president has told the Guardian.
…Sri Lanka and India were targets because they had similar cultures, cuisines and climates. Australia was also being considered because of the amount of unoccupied land available.
“We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades,” he said.
Environmentalists say the issue raises the question of what rights citizens have if their homeland no longer exists. “It’s an unprecedented wake-up call,” said Tom Picken, head of international climate change at Friends of the Earth. “The Maldives is left to fend for itself. It is a victim of climate change caused by rich countries.”
Most of the population of the Maldives is concentrated on one island — Male — which contrasts with the rest of the resort-studded archipelago. Check out this density:
And for some scale, click here to see the island in context — next to the airport.
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November 17th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I hear Iceland is cheap these days!
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:52 am
I am from Maldives and the biggest fear for me is loosing our culture and other traditions when the country is gone. No more Maldives..no more people of our kind.
Iceland sounds good but i guess Australia is better since the climate is not very different.
April 11th, 2010 at 9:01 am
We have big land in Tanzania whereby all the population can be accommodated in one town that is 100 times bigger than the size of the present Maldives.
June 9th, 2011 at 4:55 am
Some of the people will be able to come to Sri Lanka because Sri Lanka is a multy cultural country with male people and Muslims.
February 7th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
i really feel sorry for you people.. why don’t u come over to syria.. u most welcome.. i think you can become a better muslim citizens instead of those criminals of alwite minority!!
February 8th, 2012 at 6:22 pm
Seriously???? if you think Australia would welcome 300’000 Maldive Islamic nationals living under Sharia law into the lucky country….!! Best be looking towards Africa. Imagine us phoning the Saudis and asking if 300’000 Australians could set up a “new country” next to Mecca…? I can’t see the awnser being “no worries mate!”
Beautiful islands and a real shame the sea is claiming them back. Good luck!