The emergency
The destruction caused by rising sea levels will surpass the ability of the government to fulfill it's responsibilities to the people of the Maldives. When rising sea levels compromise the wellbeing of the country's citizens, basic needs of those who cannot support themselves will not be met.
Rising sea level destruction
The impact of rising sea levels on the Maldives will eventually make the low lying islands uninhabitable (before the islands drown), because of the combination of smaller negative implications (Hofmann). Through beach erosion, inability to consistently fish, and inconsistency of water and soil, the Maldivian industries of tourism, fishing, and agriculture will be the first to become destroyed (Ministry of Environment Maldives). Climate change will then drastically limit clean water resources therefore hurting human health, and the country's food surplus (Ministry of Environment Maldives). By taking away the almost all of the country's economical assets, rising sea levels will cause an extreme amount of poverty and hardship. Without safe drinking water, and non-imported food, those living in the Maldives will not be able to meet basic needs.
Government irresponsibility
Although the Maldivian government has been unjustly charged the implications of rising sea levels, it still has the task of ensuring citizens get their basic needs met. With 1/5 of it's population making less than 1.90 dollars per day (The World Bank), the government must create a path for their well being once rising sea levels greatly compromise their earnings. Despite this, the government has shown a disregard for this future and has taken steps ill-advised by Bluepeace Maldives NGO and by The Maldives Ministry of Environment.
The Bluepeace Maldives has begged the government to create legislature protecting the nation's nature reserves and limit tourist resorts on sites compromising biodiversity (Bluepeace Maldives). Contrary to this advice, the Maldivian government plans to create forty-one more resorts over the next ten years, to add to the current 89 resorts according to Bluepeace Maldives. Allowing tourist resorts to hurt the country's thinning natural resources only to short term improve the economy shows the lack of forethought by the Maldivian government; a characteristic that will come back to bite them in the future.
The MInistry of Environment for the Maldives made a similar request to the government, asking for a build up of food surplus, strengthening of reliable industries, and the protection of land settlements (Ministry of Environment Maldives). So far, the Maldivian government has not implemented any of these actions nor has even discussed them with the Ministry of Environment (Ministry of Environment Maldives). While the government of the Maldives is focusing on other issues, they are digging a dangerous hole for themselves in the future. Because the government continues to ignore it's fate, they will not be able to ensure a path for their citizens to meet basic needs.
The Bluepeace Maldives has begged the government to create legislature protecting the nation's nature reserves and limit tourist resorts on sites compromising biodiversity (Bluepeace Maldives). Contrary to this advice, the Maldivian government plans to create forty-one more resorts over the next ten years, to add to the current 89 resorts according to Bluepeace Maldives. Allowing tourist resorts to hurt the country's thinning natural resources only to short term improve the economy shows the lack of forethought by the Maldivian government; a characteristic that will come back to bite them in the future.
The MInistry of Environment for the Maldives made a similar request to the government, asking for a build up of food surplus, strengthening of reliable industries, and the protection of land settlements (Ministry of Environment Maldives). So far, the Maldivian government has not implemented any of these actions nor has even discussed them with the Ministry of Environment (Ministry of Environment Maldives). While the government of the Maldives is focusing on other issues, they are digging a dangerous hole for themselves in the future. Because the government continues to ignore it's fate, they will not be able to ensure a path for their citizens to meet basic needs.
displacement
Rising sea levels will eventually submerge the Maldives; before this happens the current population of the country must be evacuated. Assuming that either the government is able to evacuate the population or another international effort intervenes, the obvious question comes to mind: where do these people go? This is also the question that makes the Maldivian issue even more complex, because the majority of the population are seen as nothing other than Maldivian citizens. What this means is that they have no legal rights to even be in other countries (Robinson 162); no passports, no visas, no refugee status. Those fleeing their homes will not be seen by the world as refugees, because currently there is no such thing as a climate refugee (Sokhin).
But with, "most predictions setting the number for future flows of climate migrants at 200 million by 2050," it is very likely that countries will soon recognize these people as refugees (Trofimenko 9). If that is the case, the people of the Maldives will be forced to adjust to new homes with different standards, and values. The biggest cultural difference would be leaving a country where extreme Islam is enforced and other religions are forbidden.
An example of this potential destruction can be seen in the suicide of Ismail Didi, a publicly atheist man that was cornered by his family and friends who despised him because of his faith (Robinson 99). Suicide being a crime of Islam, even after the man's death, he was ridiculed in the online comments of his story by people who wished for him to be, "tortured in hell for eternity" (Robinson 100). This exemplifies the Maldivian inability to accept the western belief of religious freedom. With this significant hindrance for the Maldivian people to embrace other societies, they may find alternatives such as Islamic extremist groups. If the most extreme Maldivian people were to join terrorist groups within the countries allowing them to seek refuge, those countries would very soon close their borders (Niyaz 1).
But with, "most predictions setting the number for future flows of climate migrants at 200 million by 2050," it is very likely that countries will soon recognize these people as refugees (Trofimenko 9). If that is the case, the people of the Maldives will be forced to adjust to new homes with different standards, and values. The biggest cultural difference would be leaving a country where extreme Islam is enforced and other religions are forbidden.
An example of this potential destruction can be seen in the suicide of Ismail Didi, a publicly atheist man that was cornered by his family and friends who despised him because of his faith (Robinson 99). Suicide being a crime of Islam, even after the man's death, he was ridiculed in the online comments of his story by people who wished for him to be, "tortured in hell for eternity" (Robinson 100). This exemplifies the Maldivian inability to accept the western belief of religious freedom. With this significant hindrance for the Maldivian people to embrace other societies, they may find alternatives such as Islamic extremist groups. If the most extreme Maldivian people were to join terrorist groups within the countries allowing them to seek refuge, those countries would very soon close their borders (Niyaz 1).