President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has urged the globe to chart their collective path towards a sustainable, safe and equitable future for all.
In his remarks at the High-Level Thematic Debate on “Delivering Climate Action: for People, Planet and Prosperity” on Tuesday, the Maldivian president stated that Maldives alongside other small island states have been sounding the warning bells “for years” and that the choice is obvious for the island nations as well as billions of people across the globe; action must be taken with utmost urgency.
We must chart our collective path towards a sustainable, safe and equitable future for all. To the Maldives, and to billions of people across the planet, the choice is obvious. We must act with utmost urgency.”Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives.
Stating that the fate of small islands today will be the fate of the rest of the world tomorrow, Solih added that climate change is not a concern raised only by small island states and other climate vulnerable countries and that it has now become a global emergency.
Every day, we are observing more powerful storms and hurricanes. Unpredictable rains and monsoon patterns. Roaring wildfires. Devastating floods. Today, all nations of the world are facing the consequences of our collective inaction on climate change. All this devastation is just at the 1.1 degrees of warming that we have already caused. I dare not fathom a world that exceeds the 1.5 degrees of warming, outlined as the best scenario for a habitable planet. Without radically changing our current NDCs, we are going to exceed 1.5 degrees.”Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives.
Highlighting that the time to act is “now”, President Solih expressed optimism that the High-Level Thematic Debate as well as the COP26 to be held in Glasgow, Scotland in November as well as the upcoming G20 meeting will pave the path to a collective course of ambitious action, solidarity and cooperation to reduce emissions and ensure that every country has the support necessary to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Solih went on to state that Maldives, despite being a small country, has taken ambitious measures to achieve Net Zero by 2030, if the island nation receives the substantial support and technological assistance from the international community.
Further, the Maldivian president added that Maldives is under no illusion that Net Zero from small countries will be enough, as it requires larger economies to work together “aggressively” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Mitigation is just half of the challenge. We are already in a world where adaptation costs and resilience building are consuming an ever-growing portion of our national budgets. This fiscal strain, along with Covid-related economic drawbacks, have made it more difficult for small economies like ours to advance our development agenda.”Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, President of the Maldives.
Solih further went on to state that he carried letters addressed to him by the young Maldivian children, filled with pleas to protect the environment and their home for the future generations when he attended the General Assembly Debate in New York in September.
With this being said, the Maldivian president expressed hope that the moment will be met within the event as well as COP26. He urged the globe to fulfill the demand of today’s youth and future generations to ensure a healthy, sustainable and prosperous future for all.
