Climate Conversations - ‘Drowning nations’ threaten new 21st century statelessness

By Maxine Burkett

Migration of peoples and communities due to climate change may have a dramatic effect on the globe in the next half-century. It is estimated that some 200 million people worldwide may be on the move because of increased storms, flooding, sea level-rise, and desertification.

For some small island dwellers, the perils of migration will be made worse by the loss of their nations. In other words, while displacement within and across borders may be compulsory for many ‘climate migrants,’ small-islanders may be on the move absent a country to which to return.

Of particular concern are island nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans - including Tuvalu, the Maldives, Kiribati, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, among others. Already, grim climate forecasts suggest they will face challenges remaining in their homes.

Sea-level rise, coastal inundation, seawater intrusion into freshwater sources and soil salinisation all hurt freshwater availability and adversely affect coastal agriculture, on which many islanders depend. Indeed, this is already occurring in some Pacific island communities.

These climate change impacts will exacerbate pre-existing vulnerabilities typical of countries of similar size and stage of development – those with small economies, which are highly dependent on imports and weather-dependent exports.

For some states, however, climate change threatens their very survival.

It has been 20 years since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change first stated that the “gravest effects of climate change may be those on human migration.” But the international community has made little legal or political progress in dealing with the coming problems.

A number of challenges are behind this political lethargy, including a persistent lack of information on three points:

(1) The number of people and reasons why they may need to move. While 200 to 250 million climate migrants by 2050 are the most widely cited numbers, estimates vary greatly - from a relatively small 25 million to a high of one billion depending on the greenhouse gas emissions scenarios employed, among other factors.

(2) Linking migration directly to climate change. The many potential and overlapping causes of migration confound efforts to quantify climate-related displacement, both current and estimated.

Deteriorating environmental conditions interact with other factors that can influence migration, including levels of development, governance, and the capacity for individuals, communities, and countries to adapt to external pressures, climate-related or otherwise. Demographic considerations, such as age, sex, culture, education level and work experience, as well as general risk perception and levels of risk aversion, play an crucial role in determining whether someone can or will move.

(3) What to call people who move as a result of climate pressures. There is no agreed-upon definition for those judged to have been dislocated primarily by climate change. “Climate refugees” has been the mostly widely used term.

From a law and policy standpoint, however, such migrants are not recognized as refugees, even if they cross national borders, because displacement as a result of climate change or other environmental factors is not yet legally recognized. Finding an appropriate term for these migrants is vital, however, as their rights and the resulting obligations of other nations and the international community will depend on it.

Given these challenges and the lack of solid figures, the plight of climate migrants is easily sidestepped. For small island states, however, there are myriad reasons to act now – not least because the loss of their land will be a clear result of man-made climate change.

In the extreme scenarios that small island states face, there are worrisome legal gaps. There is international law that helps determine what should happen to people deprived of their nationality as a result of a variety of circumstances.

There are no laws, however, that govern what happens to citizens of a country that disappears. When island states are no longer inhabited and the population is permanently displaced to other countries, it is unclear whether they may become stateless persons under international law or if they become merely landless citizens of a state that no longer exists.

A new international or regional legal regime, swiftly conceived and implemented, is vital to resolve this kind of question. The complexity of the issue, and the immediate threat of climate change, call for early efforts at planning and coordination. The alternative is disorganized and insufficient aid - which might come too late.

Source: http://www.trust.org/alertnet

ONYX Hospitality Group secures two management contracts in Hong Kong and Maldives

ONYX Hospitality Group is expanding its portfolio through the addition of two management contracts in Maldives and Hong Kong. The company recently signed a management contract for a 271-villa resort called Addu Atoll in Maldives. The property will be re-launched under ONYX's Amari brand as Amari Addu Maldives in November 2011.

The group has also been appointed by Methodist Centre Limited (MCL) to manage the 250-room Wesley. The property is located in the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong and ownership will be undertaken on February 1, 2012. The property will undergo an extensive refurbishment programme and will be relaunched as OZO at the Wesley, Hong Kong by December 2012.

"The Maldives project is a significant one for ONYX Hospitality Group, as it is our first international management agreement. It is also our first Amari property outside Thailand. We are delighted to have been appointed by the Maldives Tourism Development Corporation Plc to manage the villa resort. We have also signed an agreement to manage a property in Hong Kong under the OZO brand recently, which will open towards the end of 2012. At this point in time, we will have 25 properties in operation by the end of 2012,” said Peter Henley, President and CEO, ONYX Hospitality Group.

Speaking about the response from the Indian market, Henley added, “We receive strong support from travel agents and tour operators in the Indian market. In fact, our business from the Indian market continues to be positive and the footfall is growing by over 25 per cent this year. The new properties will hopefully allow the momentum to continue. We are keen on entering the Indian market at the opportune time with the right partners. Considering the business buoyancy and burgeoning hospitality industry in India, we are currently exploring a number of opportunities for growth.”

Source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com

The Maldives - An Atlantis for our age?

The Maldives is considered a paradise destination by Europeans. Why, then, did its President announce national plans, in 2008, to purchase land in India, Sri Lanka and Australia? Land that would give his nation the option of mass migration?

He provided the answer himself. “We do not want to leave the Maldives but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades.”

The Maldives is not the only small island state to be concerned about rising sea levels. It is a member of the Alliance of Small Island States that was formed to address global warming. Its members, having low-lying coasts and being small island countries (not part of a much larger state), have good reason to be concerned by climate change.

The rising sea levels would not merely erode valuable land. They could lead to the disappearance of the country itself.

Even within this group of states, however, the Maldives has a special place.

It is the lowest-lying country in the world. The maximum natural ground level is only 2.3 metres while the average is only 1.5 metres above sea level. The 2004 tsunami destroyed 14 out of the 199 inhabited islands and displaced about 15,000 people (out of a population of about 313,000).

The dangers of climate change are therefore not abstract to Maldivians. Whether through a series of huge catastrophes or through gradual consistent rises in the sea level the country can really become an Atlantis for our age. The country’s own government made the same point flamboyantly when, on October 17, 2009, it held the world’s first-ever underwater Cabinet meeting! That attempt to gain the world’s attention has also been supplemented by more orthodox proposals on the human dimension of climate change.

The human dimension needs underlining. The extreme vulnerability of the Maldives brings it out clearly. It shows why the EU needs to remain engaged with projects in that country and others like it. Climate change does not need tackling only at a technocratic level. It raises issues of social justice and democracy as well.

Back in February, I was a member of the European Parliament’s South Asia delegation that visited the Maldives to inspect the EU-funded educational and health projects. The images of paradise hit one immediately. The corals were multi-coloured, purple, orange and grey. The tropical fish took one’s breath away. Blue-striped fish with orange tails, yellow fish with black tails and translucent strange creatures with turquoise eyes swam in and out with the flow of the water, as though in a giant aquarium. The main island is surrounded by powder-white sand, where small stingrays and black-tipped baby sharks swim along the sandy bottom.

The mention of those dangerous fish reminds one that it is not quite paradise. However, the major problems facing the Maldives have to do with people.

The atolls are scattered over 1,000 kilometres. This feature is what gives each atoll a sense of untouched paradise and makes tourism, besides fisheries, the major source of income. However, it is a logistical nightmare for a government trying to organise proper education, health care and administration. Each island has its local council.

A democratic central government needs to be committed to both connectivity and decentralisation. Although the present government styles itself as centre-right, its commitment to social justice and welfare seemed worthy of a centre-left party.

It is also the country’s first democratic government, following a 30-year dictatorship. During this period, the country was a haven of luxury tourism while the population itself was seen as made up of the paupers of the Indian Ocean. The development problems have not been solved yet.

In 2009, GDP contracted by three per cent. The GDP per capita was $4,200. The Corruption Perception Index ranked the country at 130 (out of 180). The Human Development Index for 2010 placed the country at 107 (out of 169). On the brighter side, the Press Freedom Index gave a rank of 52 (out of 175).

The point of running through these statistics is to show the additional challenge raised by climate change.

Imagine the country requires substantial demographic movements, either from some islands to the major ones or from the Maldives to other countries.

The success of the migrations will depend on the people’s ability to fit in democratically and economically. Otherwise, problems will pile up and become insurmountable. Maldivians would find themselves flooded by the sea and struggling not to sink in the ensuing political, economic and social problems. Atlantis is only romantic if you are not its citizen.

Malta is not as vulnerable as the Maldives. However, as a small island state, it is vulnerable enough to have something to learn from the Maldives and something to gain by offering its solidarity.

Source: http://www.timesofmalta.com

Son of resort boss ‘drove newlyweds’

POLICE in the Maldives have identified the driver of the quad bike that killed Halifax honeymooners Jonathan and Emma Gray.

He has been named as Swedish national Filip Eugen Petre, 23, who is the son of a shareholder of the company which operates the Kuredu Island Resort where the 25-year-old couple tragically died last weekend.

Police said he was employed by the company as a guest relations officer trainee.

He is understood to be still in hospital receiving treatment for injuries.

The Grays, of Heath Lea, Halifax, had been passengers on the quad bike – identified as a King Quad 700 by police – when it crashed into a tree at 4am on Saturday, Maldives time.

They had only married a week earlier at St Bartholomew’s Church in Ripponden and leave behind a six-month-old baby boy Jake.

In a statement released today, a spokesman for the Maldives police said: “Investigation into the incident has so far revealed that the accident occurred while the three were riding a four-wheel vehicle – a King Quad 700 – and crashed into a tree in the middle of the path.

“Upon hearing of the accident the island doctor went to the scene of the accident and attempted to treat the victims, but told police that there was no sign of life from the two English tourists.”

The Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Rev Stephen Platten, joined the many paying tribute to the much-loved couple.

Heartfelt comments have been posted on the Courier website from friends and strangers touched by the tragic news.

One commentor wrote: “Emma was a lovely teacher and taught my son for two years.

“He was devastated when she went on maternity leave last year.

“Words can’t say how upset he is now.

“I am not exaggerating to say that she was one of the best teachers any of my three children had.

“A huge miss.

“My thoughts with her family and those of her husband’s. RIP.”

Another read: “My heartfelt sympathies to their families. What a tragic waste of two lovely young lives. RIP x”.

And: “This is the kind of tragedy that puts small problems into perspective. Very sad.”

Source: http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk

Khanal gets Maldives invite for SAARC meet

Maldives has formally invited Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal to the 17th SAARC summit, which will be held in the island nation in November.

Ibrahim Hussein Zaki, an emissary of President Mohamed Nasheed, today met PM Khanal at his official residence to hand over the invitation.

Maldives is set to host the leaders of the regional bloc in Addu City from November 10-11. Zaki had reached Kathmandu on Sunday, but his meeting with Khanal, slated for Monday, was put off following Prime Minister’s ill health.

During the meeting, Zaki, a former Secretary General of SAARC, is said to have briefed PM Khanal about preparations for the summit.

Zaki said he considers Nepal as his ‘second home’ as he had spent three years here as SAARC Secretary General in 1990s, according to PM’s foreign affairs adviser Milan Raj Tuladhar.

In his letter to Khanal, President Nasheed mentioned, “I believe that by building greater ties between our people and countries and integrating our economies, we can build a prosperous future. I hope the summit will help us overcome some of today’s challenges.”

Khanal expressed hope that the summit would give much needed impetus to a more active and dynamic SAARC.

Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com