Maldives' Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC).

The Intended Nationally Determined Contribution Vision recognizes the status of Maldives as a nation suffering from the adverse impacts of climate change and to build its capacity to ensure a safe, sustainable and resilient and prosperous future. Maldives aims to achieve a low emission development future and ensure energy security. Maldives is focusing its efforts, actions and undertakings in reducing its GHG emissions in the energy sector. These actions and undertakings will be based on strategies and sectoral action plans designed, amongst others, for the following areas of intervention: energy, tourism, waste, water, and building sectors. Maldives aims to undertake adaptation actions and opportunities and build climate resilient infrastructure to address the current and future impacts of climate change. As a minimal contributor to global GHG emissions, Maldives places a significant priority on adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change.
Agriculture and food production is very limited in the Maldives due to land scarcity, poor soil conditions and limited water resources. The Maldives, is a highly import oriented economy with respect to its staple food requirements. Moreover, the extensively scattered and irregular geography results in tremendous barriers and added risks towards adequate storage and distribution facilities especially in order to handle unexpected market irregularities enhancing Food Security through: Strengthen existing climate risk insurance mechanism to protect the farmers and reduce the income losses from extreme weather events; Establishment of strategic food storage facilities and distribution centres across the country as an adaptive measure to increase accessibility and reduce the risk of food shortages during extreme events; Promotion and introduction of alternative technologies to make local agriculture more resilient; Establish mechanisms to ensure food security to citizens in case of extreme events and market irregularities.
Enhancing Water Security: The Maldives has very limited freshwater resources and exist as groundwater in the form of a thin fresh water lenses. In most of the islands, the groundwater is not suitable for potable use due to saltwater intrusion and poor water quality. Climate change is expected to pose further risks to availability, accessibility and quality of water sources. Coastal Protection: The islands of the Maldives are low lying and beach erosion is widespread causing significant loss of land and coastal infrastructure. Priority is given to protect the human settlements and infrastructure of inhabited and resort islands through: Facilitate and continue to invest in coastal protection of inhabited islands and resorts; Include land elevation, shore protection and reclamation as an adaptation measures to increase resilience of vulnerable islands.
Coral reefs are an important contributor the economy supporting tourism and fisheries (in particular tuna fishing). The reefs support rich biodiversity providing food and livelihoods to island communities. Protection of resort island’s beach and its coastal infrastructure is important to safeguard the tourist product and tourist facilities, which represent massive capital investments. Early warning and Systematic Observation through: Expand and strengthen the meteorological network and weather related early warning system to cover all the communities of the Maldives; Improve climate forecasting using climate modeling to provide information to support decision making sectors affected by weather and climate variability; Develop appropriate early warning systems and risk management tools.