The Beauty
of Neutrality
making carbon a thing of the past
By Selina Tan
Additional Information City Developments Limited
The Maldives is ground zero when
it comes to climate change. It is the
lowest-lying country in the world, with
an average elevation of just 1.5 metres
above sea level. If global carbon
emissions continue unchecked, much
of the 1,200-island archipelago –
famed for its white-sand beaches
and azure-blue waters – could be
submerged by the end of this century.
Diesel engines drive almost
everything in the Maldives, from the
ferries that run between the country’s
islands to the electric generators
that provide power for its 350,000
citizens. This island nation spends a
good 15 percent of its GDP on diesel
(the standard benchmark being at 4
percent of GDP, the amount the US
spends on petroleum). However, the
government is determined to change
that. Research and investment into
renewable energy has been growing
since the country’s president declared
five years ago that the Maldives
would go carbon neutral by the year
2020 – in the hope that, by leading by
example, the rest of the world would
follow suit.
Low-lying and densely populated,
Singapore is also at risk from the
adverse impacts of climate change.
These include coastal land loss,left Down the electric
freeway: One alternative
route to take?