Maldivian policies on climate change
The Maldives, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, faces significant challenges due to climate change and rising sea levels, which threaten its very existence. The Maldivian government has actively engaged in international efforts to address these issues, being one of the first nations to highlight climate change at the United Nations level in the late 1980s. The Maldives was a key player in the Male' Declaration, which called for urgent action on global warming and sea-level rise, and it became an early signatory of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.
To combat the impacts of climate change, the Maldives has undertaken various projects aimed at elevating islands, including the construction of the flood-resistant island of Hulhumale. Although there were ambitious plans to become the first carbon neutral country, those commitments have evolved over time. The Maldives signed and ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016, pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent by 2030. Notably, despite its minimal contribution to global emissions, with a per capita rate significantly lower than many developed nations, the Maldives emphasizes the need for international support to address the existential threats posed by climate change. The focus on reclaiming and developing islands also underscores the urgency of securing tourism revenue as a financial strategy in the face of these challenges.
Maldivian policies on climate change
Historical and Political Context
Maldives is an archipelago grouped into several atolls located on the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India. It is an Islamic republic and became independent from England on July 26, 1965. The majority of its people are Sunni Muslims who were originally Buddhists. The official language is Dhivehi, an Indo-European language related to Sinhala, the major language of Sri Lanka.
Maldives became a republic under the 1968 constitution, which established executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The Majilis (legislature) is composed of eighty-five members who serve five-year terms. The judicial system is derived mainly from traditional Islamic law and administered by secular officials, a chief justice and four judges. Ibrahim Nasir became the president in 1968 and was succeeded in 1978 by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
Maldives has faced no external threat since independence, but has witnessed two internal threats. President Gayoom disclosed in 1980 details of an abortive coup involving Ibrahim Nasir, the first president. The other threat occurred in 1988, when Abdullah Luthufi, a Maldivian businessman, led a group of Tamil militants who invaded the nation in an effort to overthrow the government. Gayoom asked for help from the Indian government, which sent troops to put down the invasion. By 1990, the government had embarked on a democratization program, and the country’s security improved.
In 2005, members of the Majilis voted unanimously to legally recognize political parties, and a year later the government introduced a roadmap for reform. A first-ever presidential election under a multiparty system was held in October 2008. The Maldivian Democratic Party led by Mohamed Nasheed and his running mate, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, defeated incumbent president Abdul Gayoom. On November 11, 2008, Mohamed Nasheed was sworn in as president and Dr. Waheed Hassan as vice president of Maldives. As of September 2018, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was president.
Impact of Maldivian Policies on Climate Change
Climate change and rising sea levels are a great concern to Maldives, which is less than 2.5 meters above sea level at its highest point. The country’s entire existence is in jeopardy, as global warming causes the polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise. Scientists predict that Maldives could sink beneath the ocean surface by 2100 if global warming continues. As a result, the government of Maldives is doing all it can to fight global warming.
The nation was among the first to raise climate change as a serious issue at the United Nations. President Gayoom raised the alarm in 1987, when most nations had not recognized the problem. In 1989, Maldives played a major role in calling and hosting the first small states conference on sea levels. The conference issued the Male’ Declaration on global warming and sea-level rise and urged intergovernmental action on the issue. Maldives was also one of the first countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol, written in Japan in 1997. The protocol aimed at tackling the issue of global warming and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Apart from the county’s involvement in several international conferences on climate change, it has also implemented several projects aimed at resisting the rising sea by raising the elevation of some islands. For example, it has completed the construction of a flood-resistant island named Hulhumale, made possible by a $60 million Japanese grant.
Although Nasheed, beginning in 2009, had spearheaded a campaign to make Maldives the first carbon neutral country, this commitment was increasingly altered following his ouster from office in 2012. In 2016, after pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent by 2030, the country signed and ratified the international Paris Agreement dedicated to combating climate change.
Maldives as a GHG Emitter
According to a United Nations development report, Maldives accounted for 0.0 percent of global emissions, with an emission rate of 2.5 metric tons of per person in 2004; according to the World Bank, the CO2 emission rate was 3.3 metric tons per capita in 2014. According to Our World in Data, this number had risen to nearly 4 metric tons per capita by 2023. However, this amount was still small when compared to other countries, such as the United States, which had a CO2 emissions rate of 13.8 metric tons per capita in 2023. Maldives’ economy is based mostly on tourism and fishing and hence it has little or no industries that pollute. The developed countries, led by the United States, are the greatest emitters of GHGs. With 15 percent of the world’s population, they account for about 80 percent of all emissions.
Summary and Foresight
Tourism is the largest industry in Maldives, taking advantage of the islands’ beautiful resorts and beaches. Government revenues from import duties and tourism-related taxes may be threatened by rising sea levels. For example, the 2004 Asian tsunami battered Maldives, forcing the evacuation of thirteen of its two hundred inhabited islands and causing millions of dollars in damage to its resorts and beaches.
Corals are the major ecological component of coral reefs, and elevated sea temperature causes corals to bleach. In 1998, temperature-induced bleaching killed over 95 percent of shallow-water corals in Maldives. The elimination of coral reefs is beginning to affect Maldives, since reefs protect coastlines from storm damage, erosion, and flooding by reducing wave action.
The beaches and shorelines of Maldives are vanishing. They are being washed into the sea, a consequence of global warming. These tiny islands cannot combat this threat alone. They need support from the world community, especially the developed nations that are the major contributors to global warming. As of 2017, it was reported that the government of Maldives was focusing more on reclaiming and developing islands as protection against rising sea levels, particularly by attracting more tourism to secure greater funds.
Key Facts
- Population: 392,709 (July 2017 estimate)
- Area: 298 square kilometers
- Gross domestic product (GDP): $6.887 billion (purchasing power parity, 2017 estimate)
- Carbon dioxide emissions in metric tons per capita: 3.3 in 2014
- Kyoto Protocol status: Ratified December 1998
- Paris Agreement status: Ratified April 2016
Bibliography
Gayoom, Maumoon Abdul. The Maldives—a Nation in Peril: Speeches by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives, on the Challenge of Environmental Instability to the Maldives and the Global Community. Ministry of Planning Human Resources and Environment, 1998.
Goreau, Thomas, et al. “Maldives Shorelines: Growing a Beach.” Global Coral Reef Alliance, 2004, www.globalcoral.org/maldives-shorelines-growing-a-beach/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
"Maldives." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 12 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/maldives/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
Maldives: Post-Tsunami Environmental Assessment. United Nations Environment Programme, 2005, wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8969/-Maldives%20Post-Tsunami%20Environmental%20Assessment-2005503.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
Naseer, Abdulla. Coral Reefs and Impacts of Climate Change in the Maldives. Workshop on Climate Science and Policy, 2008.
Ritchie, Hannah and Max Roser. "Maldives: CO2 Country Profile." Our World in Data, 2024, ourworldindata.org/co2/country/maldives. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.
Vidal, John. "'We Need Development': Maldives Switches Focus from Climate Threat to Mass Tourism." The Guardian, 3 Mar. 2017, www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/03/maldives-plan-to-embrace-mass-tourism-sparks-criticism-and-outrage. Accessed 19 Dec. 2024.