How Much Longer Will You Be Able To Take A Holiday In The Maldives
The Maldives archipelago consists of around 1200 islands covering an area of approximately 800 kilometers in the Indian Ocean, and they are generally thought to be some of the most beautiful tropical islands on our planet. These islands, and indeed this country, are threatened by rising sea levels since they are all only a couple of meters above sea level.
Just a small increase in sea levels would cause most, if not all, of the islands be submerged by the Indian Ocean, and those that would still have land above sea level would be virtually uninhabitable. Maldives resorts like Baros island, Filitheyo island and Kuredu island which are very popular with thousands of tourists each years may be lost to the sea within a matter of decades.
Sea-level change isnt the only threat to these islands however, they are also under a real threat from an increase in sea temperatures. Increases in ocean water temperature can destroy coral reefs which are sensitive to change, and these play a large part in protecting islands such as the Maldives from waves.
Global warming has been a debatable issue among many environmental scientists for years, but the event of the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice in 2007 has caused many researchers to agree that warming is definitely occuring.
In 2008 a leading climatologist, James Hansen, published a research paper which demonstrated that the actual safe limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was at most 350 parts per million, anything higher than that causing significant negative environmental effects globally. We have already reached that level with the current concentration at 390 ppm and rising.
The Maldives are not the only country under immediate threat, countries like Bangladesh are already suffering flooding to the sea levels have risen in the last decade; forests across western North America and Europe are succumbing to non-native pests that are moving into these warmer areas.
The recent pledge of the G8 nations to take measures to try and counteract temperature increase to only 2 degrees and atmospheric concentration of Carbon Dioxide to 450 parts per million hasnt placated many environmentalists. The fact that we are already seeing the negative effects of warming is has alarmed many who claim the figures are now out of date.
Later this month, over 100 world leaders will meet at New York for the United Nations Climate Change Summit. On 24th October 2009, the Maldives will hold the largest underwater political demonstration in history with snorkelers and divers taking banners down to the coral reefs as a reminder to everyone of what is at stake. We cannot be really how long it will be but it seems inevitable that holidays to the Maldives may be over in the future.
Tags: co2, diving, environmental, flights, holidays, maldives, maldivian news, News, science, tourism, tropical
News | Sarah Brooke | 
October 3, 2009 5:56 am
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