Maldives Mitigation
This renewable energy source is most suitable for the Maldives.
Solar energy
These structures are built to protect islands from rising seas and waves. It is a common hard engineering
Sea walls
Rising sea levels increase this coastal problem.
Flash Flooding
This is the average height of the Maldives above sea level.
About 1–1.5 metres
This ecosystem acts as a natural barrier against waves.
Coral Reefs
Mitigation aims to reduce the release of these gases.
Greenhouse gases
This artificial island was built higher to protect people from flooding.
Hulhumalé
This process causes corals to turn white and die due to warmer seas.
Coral Bleaching
This climate change effect poses the greatest threat to the Maldives
Sea-level rise
Planting these along coastlines helps reduce erosion.
Mangroves
Explain why mitigation efforts by the Maldives alone have a limited impact on global climate change.
The Maldives contributes very little to global emissions, so global cooperation is required for meaningful mitigation.
This adaptation method helps address freshwater shortages caused by saltwater intrusion.
Desalination
Climate change threatens this essential freshwater source in the Maldives.
Groundwater/freshwater lenses
The Maldives is made up of around this many coral islands.
About 1,200 islands
Explain how protecting coral reefs acts as both an adaptation and mitigation strategy.
Reefs reduce wave energy (adaptation) and store carbon while supporting biodiversity (mitigation).
Why is there conflict between tourism and mitigation in Maldives
The economy relies on tourism and fossil fuels, making emissions reductions challenging without risking economic growth.
Say one limitation of using sea walls as a long-term adaptation strategy in the Maldives.
Sea walls are expensive, require maintenance, can worsen erosion elsewhere, and are not sustainable if sea levels continue to rise.
Explain how coral bleaching can indirectly increase coastal flooding in the Maldives.
Bleached reefs die and erode, reducing their ability to break wave energy, leading to greater coastal erosion and flooding.
Explain why even small increases in sea level pose a serious threat to the Maldives.
Because the Maldives has a very low elevation, so even minor sea-level rise can cause flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion.
Explain the importance of international climate finance for the Maldives’ long-term survival.
Climate finance enables adaptation projects, renewable energy investment, and capacity building, without which the Maldives lacks resources to cope with climate change.
Explain one challenge the Maldives faces when trying to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
The Maldives relies heavily on tourism and diesel-powered electricity, so reducing emissions is difficult without affecting the economy or increasing costs, making mitigation challenging.
Explain how land reclamation (e.g., Hulhumalé) provide a sustainable solution for the Maldives?
Land reclamation creates higher, flood-resistant land for housing and infrastructure, reduces overcrowding on vulnerable islands, and allows for planned urban development, helping communities adapt to sea-level rise in the medium term.
What are some of the social impacts of saltwater intrusion on Maldivian communities.
It contaminates freshwater supplies, affects agriculture, increases dependence on desalination, raises costs.
Why does the physical geography of the Maldives make long-term survival difficult despite adaptation measures?
The islands are small, flat, and made of coral, limiting space for retreat, making protection expensive, and increasing vulnerability to erosion and rising seas.
Evaluate how planting mangroves can help the Maldives adapt to climate change.
Mangroves stabilise coastlines and reduce erosion, absorb carbon, and provide habitats for fish, helping communities both environmentally and economically. However, their effectiveness is limited if sea levels rise too quickly or if areas are too small.