The Maldives: An Island Nation on the Brink of Extinction

The Maldives, is experiencing a climate emergency as sea levels rise and coastal erosion threats to displace its inhabitants, possibly making Maldivians climate refugees. To date, 80% of the country's islands are less than one meter above sea level, and specialists are forecasting that these could become uninhabitable as early as 2050 and even totally submerged by 2100. Displacement has begun, with half the population living within 100 meters of the coastline and in a state of constant threat of flooding and erosion.

International law does not, however, adequately protect climate refugees. The 1951 Refugee Convention does not include those displaced by the environment, leaving them without claim to rights as fundamental as shelter, work, and education. Efforts to strengthen legal structures, such as Ioane Teitiota's from Kiribati, have been dismissed, and therefore, climate refugees from vulnerable nations such as the Maldives have uncertain futures.

Innovative solutions, such as the Maldives Floating City, signal prospective adaptive response against rising sea levels. Measures like the Platform on Disaster Displacement raise awareness and advocate for policy change. However, these interventions need to accompany legal reform protecting the vulnerable parties under international law.

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