Male, Maldives (CU)_ According to Hussain Amru, managing director of the State Trading Organization (STO), Maldivians are extremely strong and have survived in the middle of nowhere for millennia. During the IsDB Group Private Sector Forum held by the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation titled, “Evolving Trade Towards Regional Cooperation, Sustainability and Inclusivity”, Amru delivered his opinion.
Indicating that the Maldives consists of 1,200 islands that are all less than one meter above sea level, Amru remarked that the Maldives’ economy is predominantly reliant on tourism and fisheries, both of which are susceptible to harsh weather conditions, sea level rise, and rising temperatures. As a result, he warned that the Maldives’ white sand beaches are degrading owing to increasing sea levels, which would have a terrible impact on the country’s tourism, economy, and livelihood.
In addition, he mentioned that the Maldives is experiencing coral bleaching, which, as a result of rising temperatures, is affecting the fisheries industry and the marine ecology as a whole. According to Amru, climate change poses a significant risk to the Maldivian livelihood and its 2-millenia-old civilisation. He said, “But we are a very resilient bunch of people, we survived in the middle of nowhere for thousands of years, we are actually doing a lot of things to mitigate, to adapt, to the effects of climate change.”
Amru highlighted that the resorts throughout the Maldives are implementing greener initiatives, with some currently operating solely on renewable energy. He next discussed the underwater cabinet session, which he claimed raised a great deal of awareness on the issue of sustainability and also about Maldives. He said, “A lot of people now know Maldives, that’s a very good thing for us, more and more people are visiting Maldives every year and this has created a growth in our economy as well”.
According to the STO’s managing director, being one of the most susceptible nations to climate change, the island nation of Maldives is the best location for case studies and research. However, he emphasized that the education system of the nation is not very advanced. He then encouraged the foreign research institutes and universities to undertake surveys and perform groundbreaking research, and find an affordable technology to address the major issue.
