Researchers show that using simple engineering principals to raise islands or build new ones can help small island nations like the Maldives withstand long-term sea level rise due to climate change.
People Also Ask
The low-lying island nation, one of the world's most vulnerable to climate change, has commissioned a major shore protection and land reclamation scheme using sand dredged from a lagoon, despite concerns about the impact on this Unesco biosphere reserve.
Beach erosion is commonly reported as the main environmental threat that the country faces. Beach erosion categorised by the government as “severe”, where land is being rapidly lost to the sea, is present today on most inhabited islands.
Climate change is already posing increasing challenges in Maldives, with more frequent soil erosion, loss of beaches and saltwater intrusion into land and freshwater sources. Rising ocean temperatures are leading to reduced tuna catches.
Global warming and rising sea levels are causing warming of the seas and more severe frequent tidal waves and flooding in Maldives. Tidal waves and flooding often contaminate groundwater and sewerage systems leading to disease outbreaks in the country.