Maldives Vows to BecomeWorld’s First Carbon-Neutral Nation

The Maldives, threatened with inundation by rising sea levels, says it will be powered entirely by renewable energy by 2020, becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral nation. Mohamed Nasheed, president of the 1,200-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean, says the nation will achieve its goal by constructing 155 wind turbines, a large array of solar panels, and a plant to burn coconut husks. The cost of the plan is estimated to be $1.1 billion and the Maldives — with just 385,000 people and a gross domestic product of $800 million annually — is seeking foreign aid and investment to fund its plan. Mark Lynas, an environmentalist and author who helped the Maldives devise the strategy, said that despite its initial costs, the plan will eventually enable the Maldives to save money by freeing itself from oil imports. “The point of doing it is that it is something that the Maldives can lead the world in,” said Lynas. “No rich country has the excuse that it is too expensive and we can’t do anything.” The Maldives lie at an average of five feet above sea level, and much of the archipelago is expected to be inundated as sea levels rise in the coming decades and centuries.