Save Eco Destinations

Seems like Iceland’s got a rival: the Maldives wants to be the first carbon neutral country (and they plan to do it by 2020, not 2050!).

Scared witless by the impending doom of global warming’s climate change, the president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, has announced that within a decade, his nation will be carbon neutral.  (While certain nations under threat of intense flooding are taking bold steps to become environmentally responsible, what they do means nothing if the rest of us don’t join in. By making the changes necessary to become eco-friendly, they are symbolically–and literally!–pleading for the rest of the planet to follow in their steps. And I hope our politicians do!)

Unsurprisingly, Nasheed declared the Maldives’ intention just days after scientists presented the media with apocalyptic caveats. Essentially, the shit’s going to hit the fan, and soon, for the Maldives and other low-lying regions. We already knew that, so why did it take Nasheed so long to take this step? Had he been hiding under a rock? More likely, he was lying on the beach belly up soaking up the sun. In any case, when is everyone else going to get moving? I’m looking at you, Bangladesh! USA! Everyone!

Nasheed will be working with British climate change experts Chris Goodall and Mark Lynas to devise a plan that will revolutionize the Maldives. They plan to eradicate the use of fossil fuels by 2020. If only the Maldives were a larger country! So far it seems only small regions are taking action.

Nasheed promptly followed his announcement by asking other nations to join him in slowing climate change through the adoption of innovative green energy methods.

“The Maldives could just give up. Its people could declare themselves climate change refugees and ask for sanctuary elsewhere. But the new government is taking a stand and asked us to give them a plan for a near zero-carbon economy,” Goodall said.

Excellent point.

Read the full story here.