Maldivian government hold underwater cabinet meeting
The Maldivian president and cabinet ministers held the world's first underwater cabinet meeting earlier this month, to raise awareness of the plight of the Maldives, where rising sea levels threaten to make the nation uninhabitable by the end of the century. Held just weeks before Copenhagen, it has been reported around the world as a cry for a strong climate change agreement in December.
'We are trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change isn't checked' said President Nasheed, speaking to the press as soon as he resurfaced from underwater.
'What we are trying to make people realize is that the Maldives is a frontline state. This is not merely an issue for the Maldives but for the world. If we can't save the Maldives today, you can't save the rest of the world tomorrow', President Nasheed added (Presidency Maldives).
During the 30-minute meeting, the President, the Vice President and eleven other Cabinet ministers signed a resolution calling for global cuts in carbon emissions, to be presented before at Copenhagen in December.
'Climate change is happening and it threatens the rights and security of everyone on Earth' the SOS message said. The SOS, endorsed by the cabinet, also called for people to 'unite in global effort to halt further temperature rises, by slashing carbon dioxide emissions to a safe level of 350 parts per million'.
The Maldives is calling for an agreement at Copenhagen that will help reduce carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere to no more than 350 part per million. This would require a 40 per cent global reduction in green house gas emissions by 2020 from 1990 levels (Presidency Maldives).
In March this year President Nasheed announced that the Maldives would be the first country in the world to go carbon neutral, and the Maldives would achieve the target by 2020.
Related links
Maldives holds world's first underwater Cabinet meeting, Republic of Maldives 17 October 2009
Maldives ministers prepare for underwater cabinet meeting, Guardian 7 October 2009
Maldives leader in climate change stunt, BBC News 17 October 2009
Maldives sends climate SOS with undersea cabinet, Reuters 17 October 2009
Impacts of global temperature rise
The impacts of climate change will be widespread across the globe. The interactive map highlights the impacts of a global temperature rise of 4 ºC (7 ºF).
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