Maldives Rising Sea Level
Maldives rising sea levels
Population: 309,000
Birth rate: 22.5 per 1000
Death rate: 3.5 per 1000 Republic of Maldives lies in the Indian Ocean as one of the flattest countries in the world, it is extremely vulnerable to rising sea level and the possibility of the country underwater in this century. The maldives consists of 1,190 islands,
Given mid–level scenarios for global warming emissions,
17
the Maldives is projected to experience sea level rise on the order of 1.5 feet (half a meter)—and to lose some 77 percent of its land area—by around the year 2100.
4
,
9
If sea level were instead to rise by 3 feet (1 meter), the Maldives could be almost completely inundated by about 2085. Since 1950’s, sea level in and around the maldives has been rising at a rate of 0.03 0.06 inches per year. With these small changes, it translates into extensive land flooding.
● In 2010, nearly 800,000 holiday seekers visited the islands, says the Maldivian
Ministry of Tourism. Fifteen percent of them came from China and the remainder largely from Europe, traveling from the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Russia.
For the most part, Maldivian tourists do not explore the local sights but remain cloistered in resorts. Tourism brings in close to £65 million in revenues every year.There’s no denying that tourism has been has been a powerful engine fueling the island nation’s economic growth . In its first decade, the burgeoning tourism industry helped the Maldivian GNP grew by a whopping 265 percent.
Tourism has been a source of jobs and much needed access to foreign capital.
But some see tourism as a mixed blessing. The jobs are concentrated in resort areas. In order to work, Maldivians must travel from their homes to live in towns whose infrastructures are not prepared to support the influx of workers crowding into them. And foreigners have filled almost 44 percent of the new jobs created by tourism. Additionally, factors that influence
Population: 309,000
Birth rate: 22.5 per 1000
Death rate: 3.5 per 1000 Republic of Maldives lies in the Indian Ocean as one of the flattest countries in the world, it is extremely vulnerable to rising sea level and the possibility of the country underwater in this century. The maldives consists of 1,190 islands,
Given mid–level scenarios for global warming emissions,
17
the Maldives is projected to experience sea level rise on the order of 1.5 feet (half a meter)—and to lose some 77 percent of its land area—by around the year 2100.
4
,
9
If sea level were instead to rise by 3 feet (1 meter), the Maldives could be almost completely inundated by about 2085. Since 1950’s, sea level in and around the maldives has been rising at a rate of 0.03 0.06 inches per year. With these small changes, it translates into extensive land flooding.
● In 2010, nearly 800,000 holiday seekers visited the islands, says the Maldivian
Ministry of Tourism. Fifteen percent of them came from China and the remainder largely from Europe, traveling from the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Russia.
For the most part, Maldivian tourists do not explore the local sights but remain cloistered in resorts. Tourism brings in close to £65 million in revenues every year.There’s no denying that tourism has been has been a powerful engine fueling the island nation’s economic growth . In its first decade, the burgeoning tourism industry helped the Maldivian GNP grew by a whopping 265 percent.
Tourism has been a source of jobs and much needed access to foreign capital.
But some see tourism as a mixed blessing. The jobs are concentrated in resort areas. In order to work, Maldivians must travel from their homes to live in towns whose infrastructures are not prepared to support the influx of workers crowding into them. And foreigners have filled almost 44 percent of the new jobs created by tourism. Additionally, factors that influence