New Delhi: Amidst global concerns regarding global warming, former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has said that Maldives will revise its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to further reduce carbon emission as under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Speaking at Nehru Memorial here on Thursday, Nasheed said if global temperatures rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above industrial levels, “Maldives’ existence will be in grave danger.”
The highest point in Maldives is merely six feet above the sea level. So, Maldives will strengthen its NDCs this year. The new target will be based on our commitment to promote solar and renewable energy,” the former President said, adding that climate change was “one of the gravest security threats for Maldives.”
Ending his Colombo self-exile last year after former President Abdulla Yameen’s defeat, Nasheed has steered the current President Ibrahim Solih’s resolve for a low carbon plan to channel the country’s development strategy.
Nasheed also emphasized the impact that technology can make on the fight against global warming, saying that his country too was exploring new methods to protect coral reefs in a way that the sea walls to be built in the future encouraged coral growth.
He was also critical of the United Nations’ efforts on combating climate change. “The major problem is that we are still calling countries to cut emissions. We should, instead, ask them how much they are willing to invest in clean and renewable energy,” he added.
He was also appreciative of India’s fight against global warming, saying that India was the island nation’s most constructive partner now. “In 2009, when Maldives was rooting for urgent action on climate change, India was on the opposite side. Now, however, it has changed. Its current stance to combat climate change shows that it cares about safeguarding us and other countries in South Asia,” he further said.
The former President was also certain that in the upcoming elections if Indian political parties fight on “a different manifesto”, they would win. “We fought the elections on a low carbon development strategy and we won. I believe that in the upcoming elections if people fight on a different manifesto, they will win,” he said.
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