Editing Maldives (section)

===Sea level rise===
{{Main|Climate change in the Maldives}}
{{see also|Effects of climate change on island nations|The Island President}}

In 1988, Maldivian authorities claimed that sea rise would "completely cover this Indian Ocean nation of 1,196 small islands within the next 30 years."<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 September 1988 |title=Threat to islands |language=en |page=6 |work=[[The Canberra Times]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |issue=19348, Vol. 63 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102074798 |access-date=15 November 2021 |quote=A gradual rise in average sea level is threatening to completely cover this Indian Ocean nation of 1196 small islands with- in the next 30 years, ac- cording to authorities. The Environmental Affairs Director, Mr Hussein Shihab, said an estimated rise of 20 to 30 centimetres in the next 20 to 40 years could be "catastrophic" |archive-date=15 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115033208/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102074798 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]]'s 2007 report predicted the upper limit of the [[sea level rise]] will be {{convert|59|cm}} by 2100, which means that most of the republic's 200 inhabited islands may need to be abandoned.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 January 2012 |title=Where climate change threatens survival |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/where-climate-change-threatens-survival-20120108-1pq4c.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164406/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/where-climate-change-threatens-survival-20120108-1pq4c.html |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=18 September 2015 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]}}</ref> According to researchers from the [[University of Southampton]], the Maldives are the third most endangered island nation due to flooding from [[climate change]] as a percentage of population.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stephen |first=Marcus |author-link=Marcus Stephen |date=14 November 2011 |title=A sinking feeling: Why is the president of the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru so concerned about climate change? |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+sinking+feeling%3A+why+is+the+president+of+the+tiny+Pacific+island...-a0273079165 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209212434/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+sinking+feeling%3A+why+is+the+president+of+the+tiny+Pacific+island...-a0273079165 |archive-date=9 February 2015 |access-date=9 February 2015 |work=[[The New York Times Upfront]] |quote=Most Endangered Island nations at highest risk for flooding due to climate change 3 Maldives (Indian Ocean)}}</ref>

In 2008, Nasheed announced plans to look into purchasing new land in India, Sri Lanka, and Australia because he was concerned about global warming, and the possibility of much of the islands being inundated with water from rising sea levels. The purchase of land will be made from a fund generated by tourism. The president explained his intentions: "We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be [[Climate migration|climate refugees]] living in tents for decades".<ref name="Guardian">{{Cite news |last=Ramesh |first=Randeep |date=10 November 2008 |title=Paradise almost lost: Maldives seek to buy a new homeland |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/nov/10/maldives-climate-change |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164412/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/nov/10/maldives-climate-change |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=12 May 2010 |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London}}</ref>
At the 2009 International Climate Talks, Nasheed stated that:<blockquote>For us swearing off fossil fuels is not only the right thing to do, but it is also in our economic self-interest... Pioneering countries will free themselves from the unpredictable price of foreign oil; they will capitalise on the new green economy of the future, and they will enhance their moral standing giving them greater political influence on the world stage.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 June 2011 |title=Climate Change Gridlock: Where Do We Go From Here? (Part 1) |url=https://www.radioproject.org/2011/06/climate-change-gridlock-where-do-we-go-from-here-part-1/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164424/https://www.radioproject.org/2011/06/climate-change-gridlock-where-do-we-go-from-here-part-1/ |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=30 June 2011 |work=Making Contact |agency=National Radio Project}}</ref></blockquote>

Former president [[Mohamed Nasheed]] said in 2012 "If carbon emissions continue at the rate they are climbing today, my country will be underwater in seven years."<ref name="Guilfordian">{{Cite news |last=Catoe |first=Linda |title=Endangered island nations call for global action on climate change |work=The Guilfordian |url=https://www.guilfordian.com/worldnation/2012/04/06/endangered-island-nations-call-for-global-action-on-climate-change/ |url-status=live |access-date=30 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164407/https://www.guilfordian.com/worldnation/2012/04/06/endangered-island-nations-call-for-global-action-on-climate-change/ |archive-date=14 January 2021}}</ref> He has called for more [[climate change mitigation]] action while on the American television shows ''[[The Daily Show]]''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 April 2012 |title=Exclusive - Mohamed Nasheed Extended Interview Pt. 2 |url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/ptdix5/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-exclusive---mohamed-nasheed-extended-interview-pt--2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164433/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/ptdix5/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-exclusive---mohamed-nasheed-extended-interview-pt--2 |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=14 February 2017 |website=The Daily Show |publisher=Comedy Central}}</ref> and the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'',<ref name="Guilfordian" /> and hosted "the world's first underwater cabinet meeting" in 2009 to raise awareness of the threats posed by climate change.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lang |first=Olivia |date=17 October 2009 |title=Maldives leader in climate change stunt |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8312320.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701130145/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8312320.stm |archive-date=1 July 2010 |access-date=19 October 2010 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Concerns over rising sea levels have also been expressed by Nasheed's predecessor, [[Maumoon Abdul Gayoom]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gayoom |first=Maumoon Abdul |author-link=Maumoon Abdul Gayoom |title=Address by his Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of Maldives, at the nineteenth special session of the United Nations General Assembly for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of agenda 21 - 24 June 1997 |url=http://www.un.int/maldives/ungass.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613232908/http://www.un.int/maldives/ungass.htm |archive-date=13 June 2006 |access-date=6 January 2006 |website=Permanent Mission of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations}}</ref>

In 2020, a three-year study at the [[University of Plymouth]] which looked at the Maldives and the [[Marshall Islands]], found that tides move sediment to create a higher elevation, a morphological response that the researchers suggested could help low-lying islands adjust to sea level rise and keep the islands habitable. The research also reported that [[Seawall|sea walls]] were compromising islands' ability to adjust to rising sea levels and that island drowning is an inevitable outcome for islands with coastal structures like sea walls.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Physical impacts of climate change on coral reef islands |url=https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/support/funding/global-challenges-research-fund/gerd-masselink-gcrf-project-2020 |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=University of Plymouth |language=en |archive-date=11 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311121844/https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/support/funding/global-challenges-research-fund/gerd-masselink-gcrf-project-2020 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hideki Kanamaru, natural resources officer with the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] in Asia-Pacific, said the study provided a "new perspective" on how island nations could tackle the challenge of sea-level rise, and that even if islands can adapt naturally to higher seas by raising their own crests, humans still needed to double down on global warming and protection for island populations.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Michael |date=10 June 2020 |title=Small islands may not disappear under rising seas, researchers find |url=https://news.trust.org/item/20200610171616-1ul7a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114164424/https://news.trust.org/item/20200610171616-1ul7a |archive-date=14 January 2021 |access-date=18 May 2024 |work=[[Thomson Reuters Foundation]]}}</ref>