Paradise Lost… Well Almost Lost

HOW DO YOU go about saving your entire nation from sinking into the sea?

Well, you don’t! At least that’s the view of recently elected Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed, President of the Maldives. Of course it’s a bit more complicated than that, but what a challenge to face into in a new presidency term.

The Maldives is an archipelago of almost 1,200 coral islands located south-southwest of India. Most of the islands lie just 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) above sea level. The problem is that the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has forecast a rise in sea levels of at least 7.1 inches (18 cm) by the end of the century, and it’s only going to get worse from there.

The Maldives has had it’s fair share of disaster, suffering damages and a large death toll from the tsunami in 2004, but it’s global warming that is uppermost on the new president’s mind. While the rest of us worry about reducing our carbon emissions and trading in our cars for electric buggies and solar powered clothing, the people of the Maldives are facing into a more realistic and immediate side of effect of global warming; their homeland is literally going to sink into the Indian Ocean as water levels rise around the planet, and more importantly around them.

To compound the situation, the Maldives is dependent almost entirely on the tourist trade, due largely to its amazing beaches and crystal clear waters. Beaches which of course will vanish over time as the wonderfully clear water levels rise.  So – how do you deal with the threat of global warming which is destined to drown your entire nation?

Well – in this case you save up your tourist revenues while you still can and you buy some land. Somewhere else. Somewhere not likely be flooded and then you move your entire nation to the new home. In essence, you relocate your entire country to a new homeland. The alternative is to watch your people and your country end up as a floating set of refugees living in tents somewhere.

Likely candidates at the moment include Australia (which has lots of spare land to sell), India and Sri Lanka (which at least are closer). Discussions are underway and eventually a home, and a price will be settled upon and then a pretty large migration project will be born and some serious future planning will take place.

It’s an ambitious scheme to be sure, but what other choice do they have? Imagine someone telling you tomorrow that either you, your children or perhaps your grand children will have to abandon your homeland and migrate to a new location. It’s not a political thing, it’s not a religious thing, it’s just a by product of nature and global warming. How do you wrap your mind around something like that, especially when the chances of getting a similar environment are slim to none?

It remains to be seen how viable this plan is, but I’m guessing the new president of the Maldives will be receptive to any alternatives too, so answers on a postcard please…

Technorati Tags: Global Warming, Maldives, migration, Paradise, Paradise Lost, Tsunami