Climate Change in the Maldives

Climate Change has recently become an increasingly significant issue among both the people of Maldives and the international community concerned with the fact that the Maldives will be one of the first nations severely affected by the phenomenon. These concerns led to climate change being addressed recently in a meeting held between the leader of Maldives, President Mohamed Nasheed, and the Indian Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, Mr. Shyam Saran.

Maldivian White Sand Beach

How is Climate Change affecting the Maldives

The Maldives, an island country made up of atolls comprising a total of 1,192 islands, is known for being the lowest country in the world, where the highest land is only 2.3 m (7½ ft) above sea level, and the national average is just 1.5 m above sea level. Over the last century, global sea levels have risen about 20 centimetres (8 in) because of climate change and further rises of the ocean are predicted, which could seriously threaten the existence of Maldives. In November 2008, President Mohamed Nasheed expressed his concerns about global warming and the possibility of many of the islands being inundated with water from rising sea levels.

India also affected by Climate Change

Noting not only that the fate of both the Maldives and India are linked to climate change, but also that any drastic change threatens the survival of millions of people living in the coastal areas of said countries, both President Nasheed and Special Envoy Mr. Shyam Saran agreed that both Maldives and India could work together in combating climate change.

Climate Change Policies

Presenting several of the Indian government’s policies on environment and climate change, the President was encouraged by their efforts and further stressed the importance of cooperation and support between both countries in working against the threats of climate change. President Nasheed also praised the Indian government’s policies to support new technological advancements in the field of renewable energy, believing that India and Indian companies could be a leader in the field of renewable energy and environment-friendly technologies.

Adaptation was also a topic dwelled upon by the President and the Special envoy, and they discussed that the aim adaptation should be to find ways of achieving better standards of living through sustainable development. Praising the Maldives and its policies on adaptation, both parties found that both countries possessed similar policies on the subject.

As a final note, Special Envoy Saran added that India was prepared to share its new environmentally-friendly and renewable energy technologies with the Maldives. The meeting was indeed a fruitful one, and it concluded with discussions of how to further strengthen the relations between the Maldives and India, and agreeing on a policy of helping each other in the fight against climate change.

Domain Names for Change: .eco

Green Leaf

When most people hear the “top-level domain”, what do they think of? Most people will say .net, .org, .edu or the most commonly used .com. You might also think of the country-specific domains like .co.uk or .mv. For the most part, people are content with the top-level domains on offer, but what if there was a new domain that could somehow change the world, particularly in terms of repairing or avoiding a bigger climate crisis? Would you support and use the new domain or just stick with the .com or .net?

Support for .eco

Internet company Dot Eco LLC is aiming to impulse the implementation of the .eco top-level domain, currently backed by a number of environmental groups, including the Sierra club, the Alliance for Climate Protection and certain environmentally-conscious celebrities including Al Gore. Despite this support, Dot Eco still needs more as they continue to face criticisms that the top-level domain will only further complicate the WWW, but this is not true.

Benefits of .eco

You are probably wondering how can a simple “.eco” can make a change. How can it save the environment? First of all, 50% of the profits generated by the domain will be donated to non-profit organisations, charities and environmental foundations. These organisations will also be given free web addresses and any for-profit organisations will receive help with their ‘green’ projects and those domain fees will also be donated. Implementing and reaping the benefits of the .eco domain is definitely not an easy task, but with a lot of support it could make a huge difference.

Getting Started with .eco

Another question is how to implement .eco top-level domains. Only one organisation is in a postion to do it – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). It has the authority to determine whether or not a top-level domain will make it online. At the moment, ICANN is working on opening their program, the Generic Top-Level Domains or GTLDS which will release a group of new extensions. The only thing left to do now is spread the word!

How can you help .eco get started?

You can make a big difference by registering and filling out a form at www.Supportdoteco.com/support. Just by doing that, you will show ICANN and American Congress that you believe in .Eco as a suitable top-level domain. The climate crisis is affecting all of us at the moment and is going to get worse before it gets better, but if we all work together and stay optimistic then we can make a difference. Let’s do whatever it takes to protect our planet! New ideas and solutions like .eco could form an important part of our future.

The Maldives and .eco

.eco could be a great opportunity for environmental organisations that until now have used .org as their top-level domain to change and further brand themselves as environmentally-focused organisations.

For more information about top-level domains and webmaster/SEO tools, visit Domain Fox.