‘I was blown away’, says Nikolaj CosterWaldau
Maldivian youth are very inspiring, optimistic
Nikolaj CosterWaldau speaking to local media prior to departure
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj CosterWaldau says his trip to the Maldives was very different experience.
The actor, who plays a pivotal role in HBO’s hit show ‘Game of Thrones’, left the Maldives on Wednesday, after having launched UNDP’s Unite for Climate Action project.
CosterWaldau spoke to local media just before departure, calling his trip amazing and intense.
‘It’s been amazing, it’s been very intense. I’ve met a lot of people. On the first day we went to Laamu Atoll, saw the projects UNDP has been working on. It was very inspiring. Saw the challenges the Maldives was facing when it comes to climate change, the beach erosion, the danger of flooding and the projects on dealing with that. Met so many people, they were engaged, passionate,’ he said.
CosterWaldau, a passionate climate action advocate, reflected on the challenges Maldives faced in terms of climate change.
‘You have so many islands spread out across a huge geographical area. Challenges are very real, huge. But you know, you’re a very young country. So many young people. And everyone seems to be, the ones I met, are very inspiring and optimistic for the future,’ he added.
Focusing on the need for climate action, CosterWaldau said Maldivians were very resilient and therefore there was hope for the future.
‘Climate change is kind of the big unknown. Because if we don’t get that under control, it can put everything else in jeopardy. Because if the temperature rises more, the consequences can be absolutely devastating,’ he noted.
The Ambassador launched UNDP’s Unite for Climate Action project during his visit and also spoke on the importance of sustainable development.
‘I don’t think you can be too ambitious. I think it could be the opposite. You cannot be too ambitious. These are very important goals. What’s great about the SDG’s [Sustainable Development Goals], it’s not someone in an office who came up with this. This is what 10 million people wrote in, from all over the world. We kind of agreed on these 17 and yes, they are very ambitious. And we might not achieve all by 2030 but if we take action towards that, if its 2040 then we’re fine,’ CosterWaldau added.
The Danish actor, who recently marked 25 years as an actor, has traveled across the globe and used his social media platforms to speak on climate change and UNDP’s work. CosterWaldau was appointed as a UNDP Ambassador in September 2016.
