Climate Change above agreed threshold is “death sentence” for small island states

The Maldives Environment Minister has issued a stark warning that climate change is a “death sentence” for the Indian Island nation and other small island states if global warming rises beyond the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold set by the international community in 2015.

Shauna Aminath was speaking as a multinational science team from the UK-based Nekton Mission and their Maldivian counterparts embark on a 35-day expedition to assess the health of the seas surrounding what is the world’s lowest-lying country.

“The difference between 1.5 and two degrees for Maldives and for many small island states is a death sentence. So there’s nothing more important for us as as a civilisation to address. Climate change is our biggest, single most challenging issue of our generation. And we are also the last generation to be able to make a difference”