UNEP, Maldives partner to address climate change and other environmental threats
Hassaan Mohamed, the Deputy Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy of Maldives, knows what runaway climate change would mean for his country.
“Climate change impacts are the most severe things we face right now,” Mohamed said recently. “It is definitely a danger to our existence, so we need to adapt.”
Some 80 per cent of Maldives, a collection of 1,190 coral islands, lies within one metre of sea level.
As warming temperatures cause glaciers to melt and oceans to expand, sea levels could rise up to 1.1 metres by 2100, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which brings together hundreds of leading climate scientists. Even if humanity dramatically cuts the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, seas could still swell by 60 centimetres.
To counter that threat, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is helping Maldives develop a national plan to adapt to climate change, one of several UNEP projects in the country. The nation is also among the first to benefit from a UN push to roll out early warning systems for climate-change-related disasters, such as superstorms and floods.
“We have to speed up the process of adapting to these problems,” he said during a recent visit to UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. “Going forward, it will only get worse.”
Established in 1973, the fund allows UNEP to take a long-term, strategic approach to addressing the triple planetary crisis. It supports UNEPs’ efforts to identify emerging environmental issues, translate science into environmental policy and keep the environment under review through key reports.
It also supports UNEP’s efforts to raise awareness about the triple planetary crisis, host the secretariats of several landmark global accords and build the capacity of governments to contend with environmental threats.
“Investing in the Environment Fund means that we are working towards a common goal,” said Mohamed. “This is to protect the only planet we have.”
Maldives, a country of about 550,000 people, has featured prominently during climate discussions, raising its voice on behalf of other small-island nations imperiled by climate change. During the latest session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), the world’s top decision-making body on the environment, Mohamed spoke about the threats facing his country.
“It brings us into the limelight and gives us a platform to share our stories, which is critical for us,” said Mohamed of UNEA.
Along with adapting to climate change, Maldives is aiming to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 with international support. It is planning to do this in part by shifting to renewable energy and cutting down on short-lived climate pollutants, like the compounds used in cooling and refrigeration. UNEP is supporting those efforts.
Climate change is one of several environmental priorities for Maldives. Mohamed said the country is also working to stem biodiversity loss, especially in the ocean, which is threatening the country’s two main industries: fishing and tourism. The country’s Strategic Action Plan focuses on driving growth while protecting its coral reefs, which are some of the largest and most diverse in the world.
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