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Maldives aims to become first carbon-neutral country

By Jerome Taylor and Andrew Buncombe

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

These fanatical Muslims!
[info]iconoclast786 wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 04:44 am (UTC)
These fanatical Muslims have to compete with the West in everything.

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!
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]neil_mcgowan wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 06:12 am (UTC)
How do you manage to type after dragging your knuckles behind you along the ground all day?
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]colinru wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 02:32 pm (UTC)
Oh shut up, you plonker. No doubt you think that iconoclast786 is also a BNP member - that is your usual response to anyone with whom you do not agree!
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]neil_mcgowan wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 03:59 pm (UTC)
No,YOU shut up, arsehole. I recognise vicious racism when I see it - and it is never acceptable, ever. Got that? Never.
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]colinru wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 05:18 pm (UTC)
I do not agree with the original post (which was about Muslims NOT race) but, if I felt strongly that a reply was necessary, I would do so and try to refute the assertions made.

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!
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]neil_mcgowan wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 06:40 pm (UTC)
I'm not the first person to point out that this is a pile of off-topic racist crap, which gratuitously uses a racial slur to attack a group of people... utterly unrelated to the topic under discussion.

You are a vile racist thug.
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]curl_v wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 10:50 am (UTC)
To Icononclast786: You just had to expose how ignorant you are didn't you? In the upper part of your head, which you would refer to as your brain you have attained a seemingly obvious conclusion from the mere name of the Maldivian president (i.e. he's got an Islamic name, hence he is a fanatic/extremist/terrorist). What you failed to consider in your ludicrous conspiracy theory is that no where in the article does it state anything about Maldives being a country of fanatical Muslims. I believe the reason why Maldives joined the so-called carbon race is to encourage countries that does contribute a lot to pollution to take a similar stand. The carbon-pollution from the Maldives will just be a round-off error on the global scale and it should be fairly easy for Maldivians to achieve a carbon-neutral environment.

Seriously, it amazes me how you even had the ability to comment on this site.
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]cronyblatcher wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 03:52 pm (UTC)
Seconded. I recently created a li'l bit of wealth for the poor bemused and battered banana republic of Britain by profitably exporting an item to Maldives republic. It was paid for promptly and in hard currency.
Re: These fanatical Muslims!
[info]colinru wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 05:23 pm (UTC)
I agree that this post does not make sense but your reply does not really help with its intemperate language. You can refute without abuse and will more likely have some affect in making the poster change their mind.

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).
[info]splotter wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 08:09 am (UTC)
Iconoclast786....have you ever met a Maldivian? Or spent time away from the resorts in the Maldives and actually checked out the place and the people. I hope you were being ironinc.
No need for cars or heating
[info]peteloud wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 08:43 am (UTC)
It should be relatively easy for The Maldives. The islands are so small that there is no need for cars and definitely there is no need for central heating.
The "need" for cars
[info]cronyblatcher wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 03:36 pm (UTC)
is an illusion. I proved it by practising what I preach, I've been car free for nearly two decades. It' like nicotine addiction - you have no idea how easily thrown off it is, until you do it.
[info]mr_scummy wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 09:14 am (UTC)

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.
[info]doug_piranha wrote:
Saturday, 14 March 2009 at 01:18 pm (UTC)
I did not like " this is the sort of thing donors are interested in "
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 !!
He was kidding, ya whack jobs!
[info]stenzolo wrote:
Sunday, 15 March 2009 at 01:19 pm (UTC)
This is a good illustration of the weakness of sarchasm. Get a clue, foks, iconoclast786 was trying to make a point tounge-in-cheek, or a couple of points really. He was acknowledging their real progress that the Maldives have made by setting such a goal, while making fun of western xenophobia, entitlement, and claims of superiority. Also, pushing the racism button so we can obvserve the reactions in ourselves, and take stock of why we believe what we believe. Right, Icono?
Costa Rica still favourite I reckon
[info]aaronqfu wrote:
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 at 11:33 pm (UTC)
I doubt a $110m annual budget will help the Maldives beat Costa Rica to be the world's 1st Carbon Neutral nation, I mean, Costa Rica already generates 80% of its energy from renewable sources...

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
Carbon World Cup
[info]qilaiso_niviti wrote:
Wednesday, 18 March 2009 at 12:18 am (UTC)
Why cant the UNFCCC organised a World Cup for Small Island Development Countries(SIDC).All SIDC that want to compete must carry out their national baseline study on emissions and draw a business proposal and plan and how to achieve that.
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.

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