To compensate for the loss of space caused by rising sea levels, the country is building artificial islands to preserve its core business: tourism*, even if this means sacrificing biodiversity.
Two-thirds of the inhabited islands have been enlarged and dozens of artificial islands have been created. According to the government, this work is the only option for continuing the country’s development and adapting to rising sea levels.
The problem is that the coral is dying off en masse because of the sand being filled in, so without a natural coral reef, the Maldivian coastline is more exposed… to rising seas!
Rising sea levels threaten the very existence of the Maldives, which could disappear by 2100.
*According to the World Bank, this sector accounts for almost a third of the Maldives’ GDP.
Source FMM
