Mohamed Nasheed: 'There's Nothing More Conservative Than Conserving The Planet'

For Mohamed Nasheed, former president of the Maldives, stopping carbon emissions and adapting to climate change is a necessity. The Maldives sit at an average height of four feet above sea level, making them extremely vulnerable to rising seas. Nasheed, the the first democratically-elected president of the Maldives, called attention to the issue in 2009 by holding the first ever underwater cabinet meeting. Dressed in scuba gear, Nasheed called on world leaders to cut their carbon emissions. He was also the subject of a 2011 documentary about his work on climate change, called "The Island President." Nasheed at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival Nasheed's historic presidency was cut short in 2012 when he resigned under contested circumstances, and his bid for reelection in 2013 was unsuccessful. Since then he has continued to advocate for democracy and action on climate change. Last week Nasheed came to the United States to receive the Sylvia Earle Award at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit. He sat down with The Huffington Post to discuss climate change and the current situation in the Maldives. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. What is the current political situation in the Maldives? It’s in dire straits. On the one hand, we have the president not seen at all for the last two, three months. While there’s all this rumor mongering that the president is not well, but his office is not giving any clarity on this. So, therefore,...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news