Maldivian Government
Aminath Shauna
Minister of Environment, Climate Change & Technology
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Abdulla Mausoom
Minister of Tourism
Mariya Ahmed Didi
Minister of Defense
Sabra Ibrahim
Special Envoy for Climate Change
Ministers & Governmental Officials
Interviews and Official Endorsements
"What the Lab initiative has done here with the plastic and sustainability labs is brilliant...If they are able to process and repurpose 20 kilos of plastic in one hour that really gives you the perspective of how impactful this might be"
Aminath Shauna
Minister
"We maintain our traditional image of the Maldives’ natural beauty; Cultural Tourism and Ecotourism are becoming very strong. The government encourages product and service diversity, so that the Maldives would be the first choice"
Abdulla Mausoom
Minster
“I was very impressed when I went into your lab… how they are going to make school children aware about the environment and its impacts, and how you can use waste and change the mindset - to think of waste as something useful”
Mariya Ahmed Didi
Minister
“We have other solutions now. Now you’ll see we stopped open burning, and we are trying to manage the waste in a more sustainable way…really hoping to get that message of awareness of what we need for a circular economy”
Sabra Ibrahim
Special Envoy
Influencing Policy
Following the great work of the Sustainability Lab, the Maldivian Government is directing substantial efforts to foster solutions related to the national plastic pollution emergency and reviewing their commitments to tackle the plastic pollution crisis.
Challenge
For the past 30 years, solid waste generated in the Greater Malé area has been dumped with no treatment and burned in the open on the industrial island of Thilafushi.
Solution
After three decades of waste dumping, the Maldives' capital and islands are investing in sustainable waste management to reduce emissions and protect fishing and tourism industries.
Thilafushi "Trash" Island
An issue of plastic pollution
Social
Improved waste management for the poor, skills training and behavior change campaigns
Health
Adopting more sustainable waste management practices will improve public and environmental health
Environment
Decrease amount of solid waste like plastics that currently enter the sea, improving ocean health.
Economic
Reduce ocean pollution and positively impact the tourism and fishery sectors, two cornerstones of the economy.
Natural Capital Solutions
Co-Benefits
Environmental Justice Case
THE FUTURE OF THE MALDIVES
Climate change raises profound justice issues - those who contributed most to the problem are not those who will suffer the most, with the poor and the marginalized being disproportionately affected.
The potential submergence of small island states like the Maldives also raises legal issues related to statehood, citizenship, self-determination, and the protection of rights.
Uninhabitable
The Republic of the Maldives could be 80% uninhabitable by 2050 at current global warming rates
Budget
More than 50% of the national budget is spent on adapting to climate change
Biodiversity Loss
An estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean every year (making up over 85% of total marine waste) and production will triple by 2050
