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Maldives holds world's first underwater cabinet meeting |
Maldives held the world's first underwater cabinet
meeting on Friday to raise awareness about the threat to the archipelago on account
of global warming. The cabinet chaired by President Mohamed Nasheed held the meeting
about five metres underwater aimed at pushing for stronger climate change resolutions
in the upcoming Copenhagen summit, President Nasheed and his ministers dressed
in scuba suits used hand signals and slates to communicate. The Maldivian cabinet
also signed a document calling for global cuts in carbon emissions. President
Nasheed will present this document before the landmark UN climate change talks
in Copenhagen in December. The Copenhagen summit is aimed at creating a consensus
among the world leaders over the new agreement to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol,
which expires in 2012. Earlier, while addressing the UN climate change summit
in September, President Nasheed said: “The countries that embrace the Green New
Deal will be the winners of the 21st century.” Today’s initiative of the Maldivian
Cabinet is a part of a worldwide campaign to draw global attention to the pressing
issue of climate change led by 350.org. Of late, Maldives has been drawing the
attention of the world on the need to take steps to halt rising sea levels. For
the first time in the country’s history, however, the Maldives is facing a new
threat of apocalyptic, existential proportions. Now this island nation in Indian
Ocean is looming silently, invisibly and menacingly over the azure horizon due
to the climate change and rising sea levels. The average height of Maldivian islands
is just 1.5 metres above sea level. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
warned “Sea levels could rise over half a metre by the end of the 21st century,
unless urgent steps are taken to halt greenhouse gas emissions. Low-lying island
states such as the Maldives are living on borrowed time.” |
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