Maldives Case Study

Question 1

Male, Maldives

Answer 1

-1190 islands
- Flattest country on Earth
-600,000 tourists each year

Main stresses:
-Storm surges
-Lack of freshwater
-SLR of 1.5ft by 2100
If SLR of 3m, then inundated by 2085
- capital city : Male (33% of population)

Question 2

Environmental refugees

Answer 2

• 1.6 billion people affected by natural disasters since 2000
• $180 billion/per year is the estimated average loss from Earthquakes and cyclonic wind
• An estimated 75-250 million people to be environmental refugees by 2050

Question 3

Maldives

Answer 3

400,000 people might need mainland countries in the future. It’s too small to cover insurance and associated costs

Question 4

New Zealand

Answer 4

They refused kiribati residents residency status (just labour)

No did accept exceptional humanitarian grounds (frequent coastal flooding erosion, lack of fresh water) - and because children were particularly vulnerable to natural disasters

Question 5

Why should countries accept environmental refugees?

Answer 5

• Security for women and children is a requirement for refugees and erosion means a loss of food
• China is the country most responsible for emissions, so it’s an international problem
• Sea defences don’t work, and tourism will suffer
• Salt water incursion is making subsistence agriculture impossible
• High density of population creates drugs and crime problems, so desperate communities

Question 6

Why shouldn’t countries accept environmental refugees?

Answer 6

Maldives removed itself from the Commonwealth, because of perceived interference, which led to a 20% cut in sea-defences.
Some migrants have moved to Canada: a brain drain, which impacts R&D
There are question marks over the Maldives governments – why do they really want to leave?
There are question marks over Maldivian refugees joining Islamic State
Should be promoting resilience