|
|
|
Real Estate News Releases
|
(EMAILWIRE.COM, March 22, 2009 ) India - The islands of the Maldives, a string of iridescent pearls stretching across the Indian Ocean, are best known for luxury breaks and honeymoons, but now, the Government has announced plans to make the country carbon-neutral within ten years, in a bid to combat climate change and appeal to green touristsÂ…
The Maldives, the lowest nation in the world, stands to be one of the countries most affected by global warming thanks to rising sea levels which could submerge the islands within 50 years.
Scientists and climate experts have predicted that sea levels could rise by as much as a metre by the end of this Century.
Thus, if the sea levels continue to rise at their current rate, the future looks pretty bleak (and watery) for these 1,192 paradise isles as many of them are already only 1.5 metres above sea level.
The islands, which lie near the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka, are inhabited by around 400,000 people who live across 250 of the islands.
In a desperate bid to control the effects of climate change, the Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, has announced his Government’s plan to make the country ‘carbon-neutral’ within the next 10 years, hoping that other countries will follow suit.
As the Maldivian economy relies so heavily on tourism, raking in over £700,000 each year, the Government is also hoping that the carbon-neutral promise will attract more environmentally conscious tourists.
The Government is working with climate energy experts to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.
A new British film about climate change, called ‘The Age of Stupid,’ provided the perfect backdrop against which to launch the carbon-neutral pledge.
The President admitted that becoming carbon-neutral would be very expensive, but it was something they simply had to do – giving new meaning to ‘costing the earth.’
President Nasheed said, “Climate change isn’t a vague and abstract danger but a real threat to our survival.”
New home
Shockingly, contingency plans have already been put into place in case the islands are submerged at some point in the future.
Mr Nasheed plans to create a sovereign wealth fund using tourism revenues to buy land in either India or Sri Lanka, where the culture is seen to be fairly similar.
He fears that if he does not take action, the future descendents of the 300,000 islanders could become environmental refugees.
For more information on Indian properties and the market in general, please visit http://india.themovechannel.com/
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
TheMoveChannel.com is a property website that was founded in 1999 as an online resource for buying, selling and learning about property. It now receives as many as 300,000 visits per month and advertises over 50,000 properties in nearly 90 countries, which are listed by over 500 partner organisations.
For further information as well as images and interview possibilities, please contact:
Dan Johnson
Managing Director
www.themovechannel.com
0207 952 7650
TheMoveChannel.com
Dan Johnson
020 7952 7650
dj@themovechannel.com 
|
|
|
|
Real Estate News by Sector
|
|
|
|
|
