CED regions in Maldives

12 February 2020, Maldives Parliament (Majlis), population 392,473

Declared a Climate Emergency.
Parliamentary record is here.
Declaration text in Dhivehi is here.
Declaration text in English is here.

RESOLUTION ENDORSING THE DECLARATION OF A CLIMATE EMERGENCY IN THE MALDIVES
[This resolution was submitted by the Environment and Climate Change Committee of the People’s Majlis and was adopted by the People’s Majlis at its …. sitting of the first session of the year 2020 held on …. February 2020]
Preamble
The purpose of this resolution is to draw attention to the fact that as a result of human activity, climate change is worsening day-by-day, in spite of the repeated warnings by scientists, the dangers posed by climate change to the fields of economic and social activity, the growth in the risk of environmental disasters, especially to low-lying countries such as the Maldives, the big-emitters of greenhouse gases are not curbing their emissions. Time is running out to avert disaster and especially safeguard small-island nations such as the Maldives and the purpose of this resolution is to declare the concerns of the Maldivian people and to call upon the People’s Majlis (Parliament of Maldives) to enact reforms at the earliest to avert such disaster.
Resolution
The People’s Majlis,
1. Aware that the latest research undertaken by scientists have noted that in 2018 greenhouse gases were emitted at record levels, that 2018 was 4th hottest year on record, that sea-levels continue to rise and that by 2018 this was the 7th consecutive year, that for the past 30 years polar ice-capes have been melting, that the 2018 report by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that global temperatures have risen by almost 1 degree Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, that it has been proven the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere would continue to raise global temperatures;
2. Acknowledges that unless urgent action is taken, scientists have discovered that by the end of the century the earth’s temperature would rise to between 4.1 – 4.8 degree Celsius;

3. Stresses upon that a rise in temperature to 2 degree Celsius could result in coral destruction, unusually heavy rainfall, a rise in flooding and repeated warnings by scientists that the sea-level could rise, that recent research has shown between 1993-2018 the sea-level has risen by 81 millimetres, that sea-level rise is a serious danger to the future of the Maldives since it is on average 1 millimetre above sea-level, that it could cause soil erosion, tidal waves, the contamination of underwater fresh water, that during the warm season the number of islands suffering from water shortages could increase, that during the monsoon season flooding has grown worse in the Maldives, that the destruction of the coral reefs as a result of global warming will damage the natural defence mechanisms of the Maldives, cripple fishing and agricultural activities, wreck economic havoc that results in irrevocable damage and that these factors pose an existential crisis to the Maldives;
4. Acknowledges that there is a small chance, if the average global temperature can be held at 1.5 degree Celsius, the aforementioned damage could be relatively mitigated, that scientists have noted that if the current rate of greenhouse emissions remain constant, only 11 short years remain before the world crosses the 1.5 degree global temperature threshold prior to the Industrial Revolution;
5. Acknowledges that scientists have insisted upon a great urgency to curb greenhouse emissions in order to prevent climate catastrophe;
6. Acknowledges that in response to the urging of scientists in 2015 the UN member states passed the Paris Agreement, though the measures currently in place by nations would only hold global temperatures between 3.0 – 3.3 degree Celsius, and that there is an increase in investment of technology that would increase global temperatures;
7. Stresses upon, that in spite of a decline in the costs of adopting renewable energy alternatives, despite a growth in investment opportunities in this sector, the UN’s Climate Change Revolution (UNFCCC) has noted that investment is incredibly low;
8. Notes that as an example, they have noted that in 2016, 295 billion USD was invested globally in renewable energy and that 150 billion USD was spent in the form of subsidies to produce renewable energy, that in the same period, 742 billion USD was invested globally into fossil fuels and 373 billion USD was spent to subsidize the production of fossil fuels;

Hereby calls upon the government and relevant authorities to recognize that:
i. The Maldives should call upon nations, international bodies and financial institutions to end funding and investment for fossil fuels and instead invest that money in renewable energy sources;
ii. The Maldives should, whilst acknowledging that aid given to small-island nations such as the Maldives by the international community is useful, it is not a permanent solution to the grave problem, recognize that their best chance of survival rests upon the success of curbing emissions and given this reality, the Maldives should call upon international actors to abide by these guidelines;
iii. The Maldives should call upon the international community to recognize that climate change is an indisputable fact, that it should be accepted as a fact based on modern science, that they should pay heed to the warnings of scientists and that in order to prevent a rise in global temperatures above 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030 nations should cut their emissions by 45% and that by 2050, they should reach net zero;
iv. The Maldives should point out the violators of the spirit of the Paris Agreement and that the Maldives should work towards building and implementing a framework to financially penalize these nations under the UN laws and regulations.