Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology Aminath Shauna has stated no nation is immune to climate change anymore and this challenge requires collaboration and commitment from all nations. The minister made the remarks in her statement at the roundtable discussion hosted by the Diplomatic World on climate change, adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development.’
In her statement, Minister Shauna highlighted the climate system is undergoing an exponential change and the consequences will likely be catastrophic, not just for small low lying nations but larger countries and coastal regions as well. The minister said over 90% of the islands in the Maldives have reported annual flooding and shoreline erosion, while 64% of islands are experiencing severe erosion, which can become catastrophic since 50% of all housing structures are 100 metres from the shoreline. She noted the economic wellbeing of the Maldives is also severely threatened due to climate change affecting various sectors such as agriculture, fishing, and tourism. She warned the Maldives will likely become uninhabitable before sea-level rise causes complete flooding of the islands since climate change will have negative impacts to access to clean water, access to resources, and food security.
Furthermore, the environment minister said President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has ratified the Climate Emergency Act which consists of a framework to work towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2030, which will be achieved with the support of the international community. She also said the Maldives is determined to show leadership and continue to advocate for more effective and bold climate action to address the threat of climate change, despite the country contributing 0.003% of global greenhouse gas emissions.