A Paradise in Peril:
The island nation of Maldives is the lowest lying country in the world. As the oceans fill with water from melting glaciers, this tropical paradise will be the first country on the planet to slip below the waves. Experts predict that within the
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next 15 years, rising sea levels will force the island’s 396,000 to migrate elsewhere. Other islands and coastal regions around the world face similar threats. Migrations forced by rising sea levels will disproportionately affect poor nations and the developing word as climate refugees overwhelm neighboring countries.
In the Maldives, a nation dependent upon tourism and fishing, economic development has worsened the problem. Protective coral reefs are mined for building materials, refuse piles up, fresh water supplies are threatened. In October, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet donned scuba gear and held a meeting 20 feet underwater to publicize the island’s plight and call on developed nations to curb carbon emissions.
“We do not want to leave the Maldives,” Nasheed said, “but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades.”
About Francesco Zizola
Italy, 1962 – Francesco has photographed the world’s major conflicts and its hidden crises. His latest book Iraq, published with Amnesty International (2007), documents the beginning of Iraq II, a never-ending war – a war without witnesses, a war which has become off limits for photographers. His book Born Somewhere (2004) was the result of 13 years covering the situation of children around the world in 28 countries. Francesco has received numerous international awards and prizes, including, the World Press Photo of the Year in 1996, documenting the tragedy of land mines in Angola, seven World Press Photo awards and four Pictures of the Year Awards. Francesco lives in Rome.
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