Hard News
President-Elect Mohamed Muizzu, Under Fire for Climate Sceptic Remarks
President-elect Dr Mohamed Muizzu, in his first international interview with Talk to Al Jazeera on October 16, said that NASA’s predictions on climate change and sea level rise are…
President-elect Dr Mohamed Muizzu, in his first international interview with Talk to Al Jazeera on October 16, said that NASA’s predictions on climate change and sea level rise are “not that much accurate”. He further states that the concerns regarding sea level rise have “always been the same story 50 years ago as well” and that “we don’t see the sea level going up that much…”
During the interview, Muizzu was asked what the world was failing to see that he saw in his country’s climate resilience, and he responded that the issue was not as dire as some may suggest it to be and invited people to come and see for themselves, the ‘serious’ situation at hand.
Muizzu’s climate scepticism has not been taken well by many of the local community, drawing criticism from climate activists, political figures, and the general populous. Many people have taken to social media platforms in response to Muizzu’s interview, expressing their concerns about a president-elect, playing on climate scepticism. In contrast, the impacts of climate change are evident and more severe year to year with prolonged droughts, ‘Udha’ (flooding waves), and erosion.
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Fig. 1 – X (Twitter) user @dboisey80 (Journalist) asks whether Maldivians elected a climate denier while quoting president-elect Muizzu’s statement from Al Jazeera Interview.
Fig. 2 - X (Twitter) user @hathareskan states Muizzu being a climate denialist is funny when he is a science graduate.
Fig. 3 - X (Twitter) user @Waddey (MP of Ungoofaaru Constituency, Mohamed Waheed) states frequent severe weather and floodings and increase in expenditure to mitigate damage not being an issue of concern for a Maldivian leader is worrying.
Fig. 4 - X (Twitter) user @MunavvarRae (Journalist) states the response by the president-elect is disappointing, as the hopes of him doing better than previous leaders slip.
Source – X (Twitter)
Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna said, “Stating that we do not see the rise in sea level and impacts of climate change is very wrong. Over the past 30 years, we have observed an increase in sea level of 4.2 mm per year. The average temperature observed has increased by over 2 degrees Celsius over the past 30 years. The scientific facts are clear.” Shauna further stated that climate change is an issue that can only be addressed by tackling it at personal, legislative and judicial levels.
The impacts of climate change are evident and have become something that all Maldivians have come to experience all year. During the monsoon seasons, the strong winds and tidal surges have caused severe damage due to flash flooding. The recent report published by the National Disaster Management Authority expects over 5.3 million Ruffiyya to be spent on providing assistance and relief to those impacted by such disasters.
Video – TikTok User @gravebone posts a video of ‘Udha’, Tidal surges in the Greater Male’ area near the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge platform and at the intersection between Male’ and Hulhule’ on the highway.
Source - TikTok
While many have been quick to criticise President-elect Muizzu regarding his comments on climate change, Dive Instructor and Environmental Activist Fayyaz Ibrahim said that previous presidents who vocally advocated for environmental consciousness and carbon neutrality failed to make those words into action. “EPA (Environment Protection Agency) hasn’t been made independent, and dredging projects continue with minimal regard to its impact on the surrounding reefs and currents.” Given the actions of past presidents, Fayyaz highlights that “what Muizzu said is not acceptable, but we should avoid making conclusions without allowing him the chance to show in action what he stands for.”
The Maldivian archipelago, made up of over 1,100 islands in the Indian Ocean, is one of the lowest-lying small island states in the world. The rise in sea levels due to global warming is one of the biggest existential threats to the Maldivian population. Projections made with the current and past trends by NASA and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicate that 80% of Maldivian islands are less than 1 meter above sea level, and estimated sea level rise of 1 meter by 2100 means most islands will disappear.
Maldives has always been one of the leading nations in the role of climate diplomacy and climate action. The first of these initiations was the formation of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 1987. Speaker of Parliament and former president Mohamed Nasheed has also been one of the notable vocal leaders who advocate for urgent climate action. During his tenure, Nasheed held the first underwater cabinet meeting in 2009 to show the not-so-distant reality for the small island states if collective action cannot be taken to mitigate the effects of climate change.
At the COP26 Summit, Nasheed called for no compromises on the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and former United Nations General Assembly president Abdulla Shahidh called for collective action in tackling climate change.