His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations addressed a panel discussion following New York Premiere of the documentary “On the Edge, Antarctica,” on the occasion of the International Mother Earth Day. Congratulating the filmmaker and the Production Team, Ambassador Sareer noted that Maldives was much like Antarctica, in that it was too a microscopic laboratory for what the world must endure in the near future from the impacts of global climate change. The many irreversible changes that affect Maldives do not exist in a distant future, but are instead a current reality. In elaborating these effects, Ambassador Sareer highlighted the changes already taking place on issues of fresh water, nutrition, human health, biodiversity, coastal integrity, and the resultant impacts on the two major economic sectors of fisheries and tourism.
Though Maldives will eventually fall prey to the significant and detrimental effects of climate change, Ambassador Sareer described the Maldives’ efforts to mitigate these effects through developing a low-carbon energy model and a national biosphere reserve, illuminating the way towards greater sustainability. He also noted the Maldives’ adaptation initiatives, including the creation of coastal protection infrastructure. The Maldives currently spends 27% of its GDP on building resilience to the effects of climate change. Ambassador Sareer concluded by expressing the hope that collective global action would mitigate further degradation to Maldives’ sovereignty, stability, economy and culture.
In addition to Ambassador Sareer panelists include, writer, filmmaker and National Geographic adventurer Jon Bowermaster, and Deputy Director of UNEP Jamil Ahmad. The event was organized by Global Foundation for Democracy and Development, and the United Nations Environment Program.
