vulnerabilities and small islands october 24, 2002 cop 8 new delhi, india
TRANSCRIPT
Vulnerabilities and Small Islands
October 24, 2002COP 8 New Delhi, India
The Maldives
Geography
• A chain of coral atolls 860 km long, 80 -120 km wide
• 26 geographical atolls
• Over 5,000 separate reefs
• 1,192 islands
Geography - islands• average height above
mean sea level is 1.5 m• over 80% of land area less
than 1m above mean sea level
• size: from 0.5 to 2 sq.km• 3 islands greater than 3
sq.km• total land area:
approximately 300 sq.km
Vulnerabilities to Climate Change
1. Land loss and beach erosion
2. Infrastructure damage and economic impacts
3. Food security
4. Damage to coral reefs
5. Water resources
Sea level rise
• Most susceptible – least defensible
Land loss and beach erosion
• 80% land area less than 1 m above MSL
Beach erosion
• Severe beach erosion in over 50% of islands
Infrastructure damage and economic impacts
• Airport is extremely vulnerable• Ground level of airport does
not exceed 1.7m above MSL• Runway of airport partly
flooded during high wave incidence of 1987
Infrastructure damage and economic impacts
• Tourism – major source of revenue• Marine dive sites at risk• Infrastructure damage – investment risks
Fisheries
• Tuna main source of protein
• 85kg/yr/capita consumption
• Main export
• Tuna affected by seasonal monsoon as well as ENSO events
Food security
• Agriculture
• Heavy import dependency
• Food storage and distribution
Damage to coral reefs
• Bleaching
• 80% in shallow water
• 30-45% at depths of 10-30m
Water resources
• 25% groundwater
• 25% desalinated water
• 50% rainwater
Thank you