Case Study: Maldives

Question 1

what are the general facts of the maldives?

Answer 1

• Archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean
  
  • 1200 tiny islands
  • Only 340,000 people live in the Maldives- 1/3 live in the capital Male. This is one of the most densely populated square miles on earth.
• Every year there are 700,000 tourists
  
  • Tourists resorts are kept strictly seperate from inhabited islands
• The maldives has seen a nearly 2cm rise in sea level since only 800 years ago
• The islands grew from storm deposits of new sediment on the beaches. The interiors of the island were left at a lower level. As a result, the higher the sea level rises, the higher the sands become. The interior lies below sea level and is vulnerable to flooding.
• The highest natural point in the whole nation is only 2.4 metres.
  
  • Most islands sit less than a metre above sea level.
• Many scientists think that the maldives could be the first country to be destroyed by climate change
• The 2004 tsunami sent the Maldives back to an LDC status.
• The Maldives are responsible for just 0.0014% of worlds greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is a global issue outside of their sovereign control- The maldives will not be able to prevent climate change and sea level rise unless more powerful and influential countries commit themsleves to the cause.
• The economy is reliant on tourism and fishing. This employs 88% of the workforce and accounts for 95% of government revenues.
• Their fragile economy is their challenge in fighting sea level (budget was $500 million in 2010).

Question 2

What are the threats to the maldives?

Answer 2

• Their fragile economy is their challenge in fighting sea level (budget was $500 million in 2010).
• The maldives will not be able to prevent climate change and sea level rise unless more powerful and influential countries commit themsleves to the cause.
• Many scientists think that the maldives could be the first country to be destroyed by climate change
• Only 340,000 people live in the Maldives- 1/3 live in the capital Male. This is one of the most densely populated square miles on earth.
  Many will become internationally displaced as they are forced to migrate or relocate as their home sinks.

Question 3

What are the impacts on different communities?

Answer 3

• Some think that Hulhumale lacks the character, culture and community of traditional island homes.
• In 2008/9 a drop in tourist numbers led to a 5% decline in national GDP which meant that half-finished land reclamation projects had to stop for months.
• Many poorer maldivians react badly to the multi-million dollar projects on their doorstep, which they consider unnecessary and wasteful use of resources.
• Many maldivians lack the education to understand the real impact of climate change.
  
  • Before 1988 there was only one secondary school. Have a strong sense of faith.
• Before moving to artificial islands, some say that their lives were cramped and that they did not have any outside space of their own.

Question 4

What are the adaptations by the government and communities in the short and long term?

Answer 4

International Lobbying:
- 1987- President Gayoom was warning the international community that the Maldives would not survive the 21st century.
- 1992- He told the UN that his countrymen were “endangered people”
- 2008- President Mohamed Nasheed has the world first ever underwater cabinet meeting to highlight the threat towards the Maldives. He also founded the association for ‘climate vulnerbale countries’, and starred in an influential documentary.

Artificial Islands:
- In 1997 the government identified a shallow lagoon near Male as a good site for building an artificial island. For the next 7 years, sediement was dredged up from the seabed creating a 2km squared artificial island called Hulhumale, which rises 2m above sea level.
- There is also potential for higher sea walls
○ Nearly 3000 people now live on the artificial island.
- The government are planning for Hulmuhale to become a major population hub for tens of thousands. So there is construction for schools, roads and more infrastructure. The sinamalé bridge connects this island and Malé.

Land Reclamation and Sea Walls:
- Nationwide land reclamation project- sediment is dredged from island harbours and the seabed is deposited on islands that are at a threat from climate change- expands island size and prevent erosion.
○ Eg. A land reclamation project om Baa Atoll has enlarged the island by 40 acres which has stopped flooding in the short term and buys time to develop real mitigation strategies.
- On Ihavandhoo in Haa Alifu Atoll a 2m dyke is under construction which will ring the entire island and hold back the sea. This cannot be a universal solution for all islands as it is too expensive and long.
- 1987- strong sea wall constructed in Male.

Purchasing Land Abroad:
- In 2008 the president introduced a flat rate fee for all tourist arrivals, which could contribute towards multi-million dollar sovereign wealth fund. Eventually, this money would be used to purchase a new homeland in India, Sri Lanka or Australia.
○ Know as the final insurance policy.

Foreign Sponsors:
- In 1987 the maldives secured a $60 million donation from Japan to build a sea wall around Male.

“The difference between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees (Celsius) is a death sentence for the Maldives.”