As part of Blog Action Day, which has focussed on climate change this year, I've decided to talk about the Maldives. These islands with a reputation for luxury, sunshine and warm hospitality have a sad fate awaiting as growing sea levels creep up over these 12,000 low lying islands, most of which are just 1m above sea level. There is a real fear that the Maldives will at some point, become uninhabitable. The tourism industry there is also under threat; as Ali Rilwan, executive director of local environmental NGO Bluepeace, commented, "Our natural asset is the beauty of the islands. If the proper measures are not taken to protect these islands, I don't think the Maldives as a tourist destination can be sold as it is today." Although coral reefs offer some protection, the Maldives took a battering during the 2004 Tsunami and also suffer from regular flooding and tidal surges; together with rising sea levels, the islands will literally drownmore...
