The Maldives archipelago, threatened by rising sea levels blamed on climate change, said Monday it would introduce a new environment tax on all tourists who use its resorts and provide its economic lifeline.
The Maldives 850 million US dollar economy gets more than a quarter of its gross domestic product from tourists, but has not yet taxed them to help it fight climate change.
President Mohammed Nasheed plans a 3 dollar-a-day green tax for all tourists. Since taking office last year, Nasheed has emerged as an important voice on the impact of climate change amid fears that, within a century, rising sea levels could swamp this Indian Ocean archipelago.
Its islands are, on average, 2,13 meters above sea level, making the Maldives the lowest-lying nation on Earth.
President Nasheed has announced plans for a fund to buy a new homeland if the 1.192 low-lying coral islands are submerged. He also has promised to make the Maldives, with a population of 350.000, the worlds first carbon-neutral nation within a decade.
The president said that rich and poor countries need to look beyond national interests if the world is to reach a deal on fighting climate change. Climate change soon will be seen as a national security concern, not just an environmental one, as countries compete for natural resources, noted he.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
