Sustainably transitioning to renewable energy is vitally important for the Maldives survival, with the impacts of COVID-19 and climate change further exacerbating and accelerating the dire need to complete this clean energy transition.
The Maldives is a small island nation of approximately 450,000 people in the Indian Ocean. It is on the frontline of the climate crisis, as 80% of Maldivian islands are less than 1 meter (3 feet) above sea level and consist of porous coral. The country is projected to be underwater due to sea level rise in 50 years unless drastic action is taken immediately[1]. The Maldives is facing a slew of climate change impacts including coastal erosion, flooding and water table salinisation leading to food and water insecurity, threats to human health, settlements, critical infrastructure, livelihoods and economic security. The COVID-19 pandemic has further compounded the climate change impacts besieging the nation.
The pandemic has ravaged the country, not only due to COVID deaths, infections, and overtaxing limited healthcare resources, but by eliminating the economic means to address both the pandemic and climate change. Tourism accounts for approximately ⅓ of GDP, while fisheries comprise another ⅓. Border closures, quarantines, and the halting of imports and exports completely shut down ⅔ of the Maldives economy, crippling livelihoods nation-wide.
“Twenty-eight percent of our GDP is directly related to the tourism industry. Sixty percent of our foreign exchange receipts come from tourism. The pandemic really stopped the source of income for over 30,000 people who are directly employed in the tourism sector and many others who indirectly benefit from the tourism industry. Fishing is the second largest economic activity, and during the pandemic, we had no way of exporting. We really had no money. At the same time, we had to spend so much on health care,” explained Aminath Shauna, the Environment, Climate Change and Technology Minister[2].
Additionally, with fuel imports halted, electricity and transportation were crippled.
The Maldives has long garnered international attention for its innovative and strategic activism against climate change, including a holistic approach to sustainable development that aims for carbon neutrality. While a complete transition to renewable energy is underway, reliance on oil and gas remains a necessity for survival. Seeking healthcare requires boat and/or plane transportation between remote islands; the pandemic made this situation more dire due to limited fuel resources. Water security has also become calamitous, as desalination plants that run on fuel are vital to provide fresh water – especially as climate change rapidly salinates water tables.
The interrelated threats posed by the pandemic and climate change, have highlighted the survival necessity of transitioning to an environmentally sustainable, renewable energy infrastructure. A variety of national legislation and policies have been implemented to enable the renewable energy transition. “Maldives may be small, but we are committed to do our part. Which is why we are focussing on decarbonising our economy and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels starting with our energy sector,” noted Minister Aminath Shauna[3].
Recently, the Majjlis, the Maldives’ parliament, passed the Climate Emergency Act, ratified by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in May 2021, which includes allocating funds for renewable energy sources[4]. The Energy Act, ratified September 2021, goes even further by “establishing a legal framework of standards and laws for the provision of energy…that are sustainable and safe for the environment…” that will promote renewable energy technology[5].
Although renewable energy, sustainable development and carbon neutrality have long been national priorities, reflected in policy and legislation, past political instability – following the 2008 democratic transition – has thwarted green energy transition progress[6]. Additionally, the promise of 100 billion dollars annually by developed nations world-wide to address the climate crisis has not been delivered, greatly harming developing nations, such as the Maldives, in reaching their carbon neutral and renewable energy transition goals[7].
As the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis impacts have demonstrated, the Maldives must complete its transition to renewable energy immediately, with the promised support of developed nations, to ensure not just the well-being, but the survival of its citizens.
[2] https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/09/maldives-climate-change-aminath-shauna-trenches.htm
[3] https://www.environment.gov.mv/v2/en/news/12294
[4] https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/24678
[5] https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/25429
https://majlis.gov.mv/en/19-parliament/parliament-work/432
[6] https://minivannewsarchive.com/politics/participants-identify-political-instability-as-key-concern-at-maldives-renewable-energy-investment-conference-59697/comment-page-1
[7] https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/100_billion_climate_finance_report.pdf