Maldives Holds Underwater Cabinet Meeting About Climate Change

The President of Maldives and his Cabinet ministers held an underwater meeting on Saturday October 17 to highlight the threat of global warming to their country.

Underwater Cabinet Meeting held in the Maldives

President Mohamed Nasheed together with his Cabinet ministers wore scuba gear and dove 6 meters below the surface of a lagoon to gather around underwater tables. At the meeting,  the Cabinet signed an agreement calling for global cuts in carbon emissions that will be presented in the upcoming U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

“We are trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the Maldives if something isn’t done about climate change,” Nasheed said.

Maldives People are All Going to Die

According to the Maldives government website, President Nasheed was asked what would happen if Copenhagen fails. “We are all going to die,” he replied.

After the dive, the ministers signed their wet suits which are being auctioned to raise funds for coral reef protection in the Maldives, according to the President’s official website.

The Maldives archipelago consists of almost 1,200 coral islands, located in the south of India and southwest of Sri Lanka. Most of it lies just 4.9 feet above sea level.

Rising Sea Levels Endanger the Maldives

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change has forecast a rise in sea levels of at least 7.1 inches (18 cm) by the end of the century.

President Nasheed is hoping to set aside billions of dollars to buy a new homeland somewhere between Sri Lanka, India or Australia.