Maldives aims to become first carbon-neutral country
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Independent Minds
The Maldives – the island nation threatened by rising sea level as a result of global warming – is attempting to become the world's first carbon-neutral country.
The Independent has learnt that tomorrow President Mohammed Nasheed will reveal details of a plan to achieve full carbon neutrality within 10 years. In doing so, his country of islands in the Indian Ocean, will join a small group of nations racing to be first in what environmentalists have described as "the Carbon World Cup".
Five other countries – Costa Rica, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand and Monaco – have signed up to a UN-backed plan to become zero net emitters but none intend to achieve carbon neutrality as quickly as the Maldives, a nation of island atolls which is highly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Earlier this week, Ahmed Shafeeq Ibrahim Moosa was appointed the country's new envoy for science and technology and is investigating ways to make the country carbon neutral. Mr Moosa, a former political activist and journalist, was appointed with a new Agricultural Minister, one of whose tasks is to reduce food imports.
Mr Moosa said: "Ten years – that's the target. We're going to be looking at solar, wind and waves and working out the best system for us. There will have to be a lot of education. People need to know everyone can do their bit. The Maldives is a small country with only 300,000 people. It will be achievable."
Local environmentalists welcomed the plan. Ali Rilwan, founder of Bluepeace, noted individual resorts were aiming at carbon neutrality, using solar panels to generate electricity and sea water for air-conditioning. "This is the sort of thing international donors are very interested in," he said.
The country's first democratically elected president, Mr Nasheed has made the environment a priority. Confronted by rising sea levels that threaten to swamp many of the 1,200 atolls that make up the Maldives, he announced plans for a fund to buy an alternative homeland, perhaps in India or Sri Lanka. The country has spent £30m on a three-metre-high flood defence wall around the capital, Male, but 80 per cent of the islands are just one metre above sea level or less.
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Comments
Can someone please tell them that climate control is our realm and they are way out of their league on this one. Or wait, may be Mohammed Nasheed is secretly funded by Bin Laden and this all some kind of a devious plot to actually aid global warming!
You, on the other hand, just post abuse (as usual) but make no attempt to refute.
On a recent post about Nick Griffin you posted abuse to all and sundry who did not agree with you. When I asked you for proof of some of your assertions, I just received more abuse - NOT facts.
When I then posted that you did not seem to be able to back up your assertions with links to facts, you then went all hysterical and told me to "..STOP BEING SO BLOODY RUDE..". So you can abuse everyone else but, as soon as they doubt your evidential Bona Fides, they are being BLOODY RUDE.
So you post abuse but make no effort to advance your arguements with facts which can be refuted. Like I said - a Plonker! If you do not agree with the original post then REFUTE IT!
You are a vile racist thug.
Seriously, it amazes me how you even had the ability to comment on this site.
I sympathise with your frustration as I have problems with other posters here but best to keep it clean (I try but not always successfully).
Sounds good, although I also wish they would do something about the developers who are ruining the natural unspoilt beauty of many Maldive islands by turning them into synthetic luxury spa resorts.
not quite a rousing call for enviromentalism - more a calculated begging bowl apparoach
Bonaire is also trying to achieve this status - and again - is a small island - insignificant on a global scale - as someone esle said.
BUT - they appreciate that the people who come to visit their islands value that ethos, and will support them in their attempts. Perhaps more importantly - whilst everyone is focussing on what this means to US - small islands like these have to import oil - and so any effort they make in this direction - regardless of what it means to Surrey or Cheshire - would be benificial to the local economy.
Maybe it isn't a plot to overthrow the west - but an attempt to save money.
Unforutnately the simple message gets lost in all the modern jargon.
"reducing the carbon footprint" - i wish all the trendy young things who think up preposterous slogans would realise that the message is lost, because so many people simply do not understand what this nonesense means in their day-to-day lives.
Try " reducing your use of oil" - "saving energy" - "saving money"
all of which means more, to more people, than all the chitter chatter about carbon footprints.
More power to their elbow !!
But I think committing to carbon neutrality helps draw attention to the issue.. and with any luck.. it'll help keep the Maldivians' heads above water :)
More here: http://is.gd/nBDz
The winner will be awarded capital project funding for carbon trading projects to be funded by CER buyers thru carbon trading transaction
Some competition of that sort will basically send the message across down to grassroot level.Imagine the hype and support for the soccer world cup why cant we transform the same into the carbon emission reduction world Cup?
For every 5yrs these SIDCs will have to outwit each other in rolling their projects out for the competition.