Sunday, October 18, 2009

Maldives Government Meets Underwater to Show Effects of Global Warming [Scuba]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/GM77gV-7QZI/maldives-government-meets-underwater-to-show-effects-of-global-warming

The Maldives, a stretch of islands off the coast of Sri Lanka, are so close to sea level that global warming poses a serious threat. So the government held a cabinet meeting underwater to bring attention to the problem.

Most of the Maldives lie less than three feet above sea level, which puts them much more at risk if global sea levels keep rising. Some scientists have warned that the islands could even be uninhabitable within 100 years (provided a rise of 7-24 inches), and the Maldives government has been vocal in the campaign to battle rising sea levels. Eleven of the 14 cabinet members attended the meeting, conducted with whiteboards and microphones 20 feet underwater, and all signed their wetsuits, to be auctioned off for the cause. [Telegraph, image from AP via CBC]