Maldives’s Zero Carbon Initiative

Thrust into the frontline of climate change, Maldives has taken a hard-line stance against the use of fossil fuel. In a video address at the world premiere of a climate change film in March, President Mohamed Nasheed announced that Maldives aims to become the world’s first carbon-neutral country. That means the country will not add to carbon emissions in any way.

Nasheed made the announcement after scientists at a climate change summit in Copenhagen warned that sea levels could rise by a meter or more by 2100. Maldives is a nation of tropical coral islands situated a mere 1.5 meters above sea level.

With the help of international experts, the Government of Maldives plans to shift to renewable sources of energy—a combination of wind, solar, and biomass—in the next decade. The plan is expected not only to improve the environment but also to make the island a natural destination for green tourism.

“Climate change not only threatens the Maldives, it threatens us all,” wrote Nasheed in a letter published by Britain’s The Observer before the world premiere of the film The Age of Stupid.

“The level of warming and associated sea-level rise that would inundate the Maldives could also tip climate change beyond man’s control. If the world can’t save the Maldives today, it might be too late to save London, New York, or Hong Kong tomorrow.”

The Age of Stupid stars Oscar-nominated thespian Pete Postlethwaite—of In the Name of the Father and Brassed Off fame—as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055. He watches video footage from 2007 and earnestly questions why people did nothing to stop climate change when they had the chance. •