Maldives sends SOS message to world nations

Maldives, threatened with extinction due to rising seal-level induced by global warming, today made a fervent appeal to world nations to agree to bring down carbon emission to the level advised by scientists or face catastrophic consequences.

''Don't think that climate change is someone else's problem. What is happening to us today may happen to you tomorrow,'' Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed said in his address as guest of honour at an international conference on climate change here. The island was just 1.5 mt above sea-level and with just 1.5 degree rise in global temeperature, it would disappear under water, he said, while rejecting the commitment of G8 countries, including India, in their L'aquila declaration to keep global temperatures below 2 degrees.

Mr Nasheed was delivering a special address at the Delhi High-level Conference on Climate Change: Technology Transfer and Develpment here.

Also disapproving any bilateral deals on climate change, he said the challenge could be met by concerted global action based on the advice of scientists which says that per capita carbon emissions should be kept at 350 parts per million to avoid drastic changes in the climate.

''Climate change was not like any other international negotiation. You cannot have a deal against the laws of physics,'' the Maldives President sought to caution the world nations.

Any deal that is concluded at Copenhagen should be equitable within the framework of the UNFCCC and based on common, but differentiated responsibility.

Mr Nasheed made a special appeal to India to play a leading role in the climate change negotiations and conclusion of a just agreement in the best interest of its own and of other developing and poor countries.

He sought to underline that India itself was faced with disastrous consequences of any change in the monsoon pattern and melting of glaciers due to global warming.

The Maldives leader said the developing nations should now stop emulating the ways of the developed world if they wanted to save the planet.

He said he was not suggesting that they should give up all the good things of life, but rather they should take to allow carbon development path.

Mr Nasheed said his country had decided to become a zero-carbon nation in a decade. In this connection he appreciated India's help in setting up a 20 billion dollar solar plant, and said, ''India has always come to our rescue.''

-- (UNI) -- 22DI16.xml

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