November 26 2008

Ever had that sinking feeling?  The Maldives have, every day the tropical paradise drops closer to a date with the briny.  

The archipelago of almost 1,200 coral islands located south-south west of India lies just 1.5m above sea level, an uncomfortable statistic in a world where sea levels are forecast to rise by up to 59cm by the turn of the century.

Despite a wealth of resplendant natural beauty island leaders are now so desperate to evade a watery doom that they are considering jumping ship and buying up some high altitude land just to keep their heads above water.
 
Whether this particular lifeboat floats is another matter as so far the rich world has been reluctant to offer assistance, leaving the soggy state high and dry in figurative terms only.

Faced with such unpalatable prospects hopes of landing a future based on solid foundations are sinking amongst the local populace.  Optimism is being drowned out as the tides of change sweeping the tiny South Asian state wash away all hope.

But might salvation be at hand from unlikely quarters?  Rather be left all washed up Scotland could surely offer up suitable living quarters.  The British Isles offer a geographic bounty of island prospects and declining demographics in the north paint a pressing need for an influx of fresh blood.   

Who knows, by 2100 Britain may well be a tropical paradise itself.

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