Maldives to buy new home?

Paradise nearly lost? (Guardian)

So, the good news is that you’re a newly elected President of a tropical paradise. The bad news is that your home is sinking, or more accurately, sea water levels are rising and your country is on average only 2.3 metres above current sea levels.

That is what just happened to Mohamed Nasheed, who took power in the Maldives yesterday (Tuesday 11 Nov).

The UN forecasts that water levels will climb 59cm by 2100. And bear in mind that 2.3 metres is an average, most parts of the Maldives are only 1.5 metres above sea level. To make matters worse, climate change is a global phenomenon, so is completely out of his control.

His solution? Create a sovereign wealth fund from tourist revenue, and invest in land. He’s suggesting buying up land perhaps in Sri  Lanka or India because they have similar cultures, cuisine and climate (although I thought that was the problem!). Australia is also on his list as it has plenty of empty land (although that could be empty for a reason).

There are 300,000 people in the Maldives, and it would be very difficult to move an entire country, even if you managed to overcome problems of sovereignty with your new hosts. So is this realistic, or is the new president just attempting to raise awareness of the plight of the Maldives to the rest of the world?

Take a look at this article from The Guardian. Or this one.