Download Maldives - Geocytes

Maldives
The impact of climate change on low
lying islands
The Maldives
• Off the southern coast of India lie the 1192
islands that make up the Maldives.
• The Maldives is a coral island chain, stretching
over 800km, with people living on 194 of the
islands.
• The highest point is 2.4m above sea level, and
the average height is 1.5m, while more than
80% of the islands are below 1m.
The Maldives
• The main economic activity is Tourism, with
sandy beaches, clear blue seas and warm, dry
climate attracting people from all over the
world. Tourism accounts for 95 percent of the
gross national product in the Maldives,
• The threat of rising sea level is more than an
economic one as it is more a question of
survival to the population of the Maldives
(328,536 in 2012).
The Maldives
• Over the last century, sea levels have risen about
20 centimetres; further rises of the ocean could
threaten the very existence of this island nation.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's
(IPCC) 2007 report predicted the upper limit of
the sea level rises will be 59 centimetres (23 in)
by the year 2100, and it means most of the
republic's 200 inhabited islands will have to be
abandoned.
The Maldives
• Every fortnight, strong tides bring sea water into
inhabitants of Kandholhudhoo, one of the densely
populated islands.
• Sixteen years ago in April 1987, Maldives experienced
unusual high waves causing extensive damage to the
islands.
– Two thirds of the whole Maldives, including the capital
island, Malé, was inundated for two days causing extensive
damage to the infrastructure.
– Male International Airport, the only gateway to the
Maldives, was closed for two days, causing delays in
receiving the relief assistance from the international
community, cancellation of tourist arrivals and lot more.
The Maldives
• In November 2008, President Mohamed
Nasheed announced plans to look into
purchasing new land in India, Sri Lanka, and
Australia because of his concerns about global
warming, and the possibility of much of the
islands being inundated with water from rising
sea levels. The purchase of land will be made
from a fund generated by tourism.
The Maldives
“The Maldives is one of the small states. We are
not in a position to change the course of events
in the world. But what you do or do not do here
will greatly influence the fate of my people. It
can also change the course of world history.”
Statement by H.E. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
(Maldives)
4 December 1997, Kyoto, Japan (COP 3)
The Maldives
• The majority of people on Kandholhudhoo
have volunteered to evacuate their homes
over the next 15 years.
• The Capital, Male, is surrounded by a 3m high
sea wall that cost US $63 Million to build,
mostly paid by the Japanese Government.
• The wall only stops very high tides- rising sea
levels will overcome it.
The Maldives
• The Maldives government is encouraging
people to plant trees to stop beaches being
eroded, and to clean garbage from the coral
reefs because they are a natural barrier
against increasing tides
• Education of young children to encourage
them to work against Global Warming
• New tourist resorts have to meet strict
building standards
The Maldives
• Hulhumalé or Hulhulemale is a reclaimed
island located in the south of North Male
Atoll, Maldives. The artificial island was
reclaimed to establish a new land mass
required to meet the existing and future
housing, industrial and commercial
development demands of the Malé region.
Home Work:
• Answer All questions (1-4) on the handout
• Write a summary of the article. In your summary
include information about:
–
–
–
•
-
# of people affected
Short term and long term threats
Adaptation measures
Define/ Explain the following terms from the article:
Exposure
Sensitivity
Adaptive Capacity