How will climate change affect holidays in the Maldives?
“It feels like the seasons have been pushed back,” says Ruth Franklin. “I’ve lived in the Maldives for more than a decade and one of the most noticeable things in that time has been a change in weather patterns. It’s February, and we usually expect blue skies and sunshine at this time of year, but I’m looking out of the window now and it’s very blustery. Climate change is making things unpredictable.”
Ruth is the co-founder of our partner Secret Paradise, and organises some of Responsible Travel’s most popular Maldives tours. They make a point of communicating the seriousness of the issues facing the islands, while also boosting local conservation efforts.
This low-lying archipelago in the Indian Ocean, long marketed as a paradise of white sand beaches and clear turquoise waters, faces an existential threat from rising sea levels. By the end of the 21st century, very few of these idyllic coral islands will remain.
But while the Maldivian government talks up its efforts to protect the islands, often the actions don’t match the words. Tourism infrastructure and land reclamation projects run rough-shod over environmental regulations, and as the situation worsens whole communities face being displaced, leaving their small islands for cities where their ways of life must irrevocably change.
We explore how climate change is affecting holidays in the Maldives, the problem of unsustainable development, and what the likely future is, when the world cannot, or will not, rein in its carbon emissions.
Ruth is the co-founder of our partner Secret Paradise, and organises some of Responsible Travel’s most popular Maldives tours. They make a point of communicating the seriousness of the issues facing the islands, while also boosting local conservation efforts.
This low-lying archipelago in the Indian Ocean, long marketed as a paradise of white sand beaches and clear turquoise waters, faces an existential threat from rising sea levels. By the end of the 21st century, very few of these idyllic coral islands will remain.
But while the Maldivian government talks up its efforts to protect the islands, often the actions don’t match the words. Tourism infrastructure and land reclamation projects run rough-shod over environmental regulations, and as the situation worsens whole communities face being displaced, leaving their small islands for cities where their ways of life must irrevocably change.
We explore how climate change is affecting holidays in the Maldives, the problem of unsustainable development, and what the likely future is, when the world cannot, or will not, rein in its carbon emissions.
Why are the Maldives at risk from climate change?
Eighty percent of the Maldives is less than one metre above sea level, and the highest natural point of the country – if you ignore an artificial hill on a golf course – is just 2.4 metres. Rising seas are gradually eroding the islands, but climate change also means heavier and more frequent storms, which can cause devastating floods.How long until the Maldives are underwater?
Sadly, in all likelihood most of the Maldives will have disappeared by the end of the 21st century. In the worst-case scenario, the mean sea level rise is projected to be up to 1.6 metres by 2100, according to the World Climate Research Programme. But the picture varies globally. Much of sea level rise is due to ‘thermal expansion’, and so the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean where the Maldives are located are rising faster than elsewhere.Climate change means unpredictable weather
It feels like the seasons have been pushed back.![]()
The distinction between the wet and dry seasons in the Maldives is slipping. Normally, the monsoons would arrive in May, and be reliably coming to an end by December. But now the rain and wind can easily continue into January and beyond. That means greater threat of holidays being disrupted by storms and flooding, so it’s likely that peak season will become shorter, while people will be more wary of travelling in months like January or May when they’ll be taking a risk with the weather.
Warmer seas are causing storms to grow faster, larger, and more intense, with devastating impacts when they make landfall in low-lying places such as the Maldives. Such storm surges mean that ground water can become contaminated by saline seawater. Water is often prioritised for tourism businesses, used for swimming pools, laundry, or gardens, meaning that there is even less for local people.
Higher water temperatures also lead to coral bleaching, which is damaging reefs in the Maldives, as well as around the world. Healthy coral reefs support marine life and draw snorkellers and scuba divers, but crucially they also serve as a first line of defence against storm swells. If the reefs die, it makes the archipelago even more vulnerable to flooding.
Warmer seas are causing storms to grow faster, larger, and more intense, with devastating impacts when they make landfall in low-lying places such as the Maldives. Such storm surges mean that ground water can become contaminated by saline seawater. Water is often prioritised for tourism businesses, used for swimming pools, laundry, or gardens, meaning that there is even less for local people.
Higher water temperatures also lead to coral bleaching, which is damaging reefs in the Maldives, as well as around the world. Healthy coral reefs support marine life and draw snorkellers and scuba divers, but crucially they also serve as a first line of defence against storm swells. If the reefs die, it makes the archipelago even more vulnerable to flooding.
A developing crisis: tourism over survival
When it comes to the issue of rising sea levels, the Maldivian government’s attitude can seem a bit ‘Crisis? What crisis?’ Efforts to boost tourism are in full swing, with new hotels, resorts, and airports under construction, and even new artificial islands.
I’m pretty sure people don’t come to the Maldives to sit on a beach looking at high-rise buildings.![]()
The government’s take is that economic development and land reclamation are vital for the Maldives’ expanding population. Tourism directly accounts for around 25 percent of the Maldivian economy, and some 45,000 jobs, so it’s understandable that this industry would be seen as a pathway to growth. The problem is that development too often overrides environmental regulations, which jeopardises the very thing the government is seeking to promote – a vision of paradise.
“It’s not just the sea rising,” Ruth points out. “Human activity isn’t helping either.” A big part of the problem is that mangroves and seagrass, which are vital for holding together the islands’ sand bases, protecting coastal areas and preventing erosion, are being removed. Ironically, this is often done so that tourists can enjoy better views of the sea.
Reclamation and development also contribute to a change in the natural seasonal movement of sand around islands. Studies have shown that reclamation has a far a more significant impact on the dynamics of an island than factors such as sea level change.
“It’s not just the sea rising,” Ruth points out. “Human activity isn’t helping either.” A big part of the problem is that mangroves and seagrass, which are vital for holding together the islands’ sand bases, protecting coastal areas and preventing erosion, are being removed. Ironically, this is often done so that tourists can enjoy better views of the sea.
Reclamation and development also contribute to a change in the natural seasonal movement of sand around islands. Studies have shown that reclamation has a far a more significant impact on the dynamics of an island than factors such as sea level change.
Paradise almost-lost
“In North and South Male Atolls, it is getting hard to find an unbroken vista devoid of any island due to the development of so many new resorts,” continues Ruth. “It’s frustrating because there are uninhabited islands in the atolls of the north and south that could be developed and bring the benefits of tourism to these areas but instead development is concentrated on atolls closer to Male. And I’m pretty sure people don’t come to the Maldives to sit on a beach looking at high-rise buildings on the horizon. There seems to be no thought given to capacity building and certainly, no regulation.”
Developments designed to attract tourists and boost employment risk damaging reefs, beaches, and dive sites – the things that attract tourists to the Maldives in the first place![]()
Indeed, successive Maldivian governments have been accused of prioritising the requirements of developers and the tourism industry over environmental safeguards, or the wishes of local communities that struggle to access details about planned projects. Officially, environmental impact assessments are required for tourism developments, but enforcement is lax, and assessments are often overruled if they are not favourable to the developer.
That’s when the development hasn’t been pre-approved in the first place. One example is the single-runway airport that was opened on the island of Kulhudhuffushi to heavy criticism from environmentalists. Wetlands were dredged, and large expanses of mangrove destroyed, even though there was already another airport on Hanimadhoo, just a few hours away by public ferry.
Poorly regulated projects damage natural environments from beaches to reefs, strip away important vegetation from coastal areas, and increase the risk of erosion, and devastating flooding. Large-scale developments have significant impacts on many local people whose businesses suffer when land and natural resources are lost, yet who have little say in what goes on. “Often in the high sea season I see bags of sand or cement being put along eroding shores to stop the waves from encroaching,” says Ruth. “But it tends to be residents doing this, rather than an official pre-planned project.”
That’s when the development hasn’t been pre-approved in the first place. One example is the single-runway airport that was opened on the island of Kulhudhuffushi to heavy criticism from environmentalists. Wetlands were dredged, and large expanses of mangrove destroyed, even though there was already another airport on Hanimadhoo, just a few hours away by public ferry.
Poorly regulated projects damage natural environments from beaches to reefs, strip away important vegetation from coastal areas, and increase the risk of erosion, and devastating flooding. Large-scale developments have significant impacts on many local people whose businesses suffer when land and natural resources are lost, yet who have little say in what goes on. “Often in the high sea season I see bags of sand or cement being put along eroding shores to stop the waves from encroaching,” says Ruth. “But it tends to be residents doing this, rather than an official pre-planned project.”
Unsustainable development
The Maldivian government does talk a good game. Its ‘Tourism Masterplan’ focuses on sustainability, and there is a detailed climate change adaption plan too. It intends to establish three biosphere reserves in the archipelago, and to create a nature park in each atoll. But the continuing emphasis on tourism development over environmental protection proves that the Maldives’ gorgeous beaches aren’t just good for sunbathing – they’re useful for burying your head in the sand, too.Constantly creating new tourist islands and developing infrastructure such as airports and harbours to bring more visitors in, all at an immense cost to the natural environment, is patently unsustainable – especially when the Maldives’ very existence is under threat. Luxury resorts cost many millions to build, and so they need to be long term investments – it’s difficult to see how many more of these could be justified.
Short and medium-term, visitors to the Maldives will have more options on places to stay. But towards the end of the 21st century it’s likely that some existing islands and resorts will simply become unviable as water levels get too high. Those that remain will (hopefully) be better protected in future, as officials (hopefully) realise the folly of short-term profit-boosting at the expense of the environment. Key to that will be tighter measures to prevent destructive sand dredging projects, and the removal of natural coastal protections like mangrove and seagrass.
Forced displacement in the Maldives
In an island nation like the Maldives, with a population spread across dozens of islands, it’s difficult to provide people with the amenities and resources they need. It’s not surprising then that the government would try to consolidate people in greater concentrations. Or that people on outlying Maldivian islands might move to cities such as the capital, Male, for work, education, or easier access to healthcare.
Forced displacement due to weather events is not a new thing, as Ruth points out: “After the 2004 tsunami many people were forced to move to Male or a bigger island. It’s not an ideal situation, and nobody would want to move away from the island where they were born and raised, but it’s not uncommon.” But the effects of the climate change will make this kind of situation – where entire islands become unliveable because of land erosion and rising sea levels – more common.
Male is already one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and itself exposed to storms and flooding. Many people leaving small island communities for the capital find it a challenge to adapt to the different way of life. When you have lived on one island your entire life, when your family has lived there for generations, you have a shared history and identity with your neighbours that is bound up in a place. To be uprooted from that place, to be disconnected from family and friends, results in an intangible sense of loss for the individual, as well as a breakdown in that communal culture.
Staying on a ‘local island’ for an introduction to Maldivian culture is an enjoyable alternative to a luxury, often foreign-owned resort, and one that ensures your holiday brings genuine financial benefit to Maldivian people. The options for doing this will inevitably become more limited, however, as more and more communities are forced to relocate.
Forced displacement due to weather events is not a new thing, as Ruth points out: “After the 2004 tsunami many people were forced to move to Male or a bigger island. It’s not an ideal situation, and nobody would want to move away from the island where they were born and raised, but it’s not uncommon.” But the effects of the climate change will make this kind of situation – where entire islands become unliveable because of land erosion and rising sea levels – more common.
Male is already one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and itself exposed to storms and flooding. Many people leaving small island communities for the capital find it a challenge to adapt to the different way of life. When you have lived on one island your entire life, when your family has lived there for generations, you have a shared history and identity with your neighbours that is bound up in a place. To be uprooted from that place, to be disconnected from family and friends, results in an intangible sense of loss for the individual, as well as a breakdown in that communal culture.
Staying on a ‘local island’ for an introduction to Maldivian culture is an enjoyable alternative to a luxury, often foreign-owned resort, and one that ensures your holiday brings genuine financial benefit to Maldivian people. The options for doing this will inevitably become more limited, however, as more and more communities are forced to relocate.
Can the Maldives be saved?
From floating cities that move up and down with the tides, to creating new artificial islands, to relocating the entire population to uninhabited land in Australia, many schemes have been mooted to try and save the Maldives. However, it’s less about winning the fight against climate change, more about buying time.
“I suppose there is an acceptance,” says Ruth, when I ask her whether the Maldivian people she knows feel as if the islands are doomed. “But to be honest it tends to be more of a thought at the back of everyone’s mind, because at the moment significant floods are still infrequent. It’s usually only when something happens on a large scale that the topic is widely discussed.”
“I suppose there is an acceptance,” says Ruth, when I ask her whether the Maldivian people she knows feel as if the islands are doomed. “But to be honest it tends to be more of a thought at the back of everyone’s mind, because at the moment significant floods are still infrequent. It’s usually only when something happens on a large scale that the topic is widely discussed.”
Preparing for tomorrow, today
Hulhumale, where Ruth lives, is one of the largest islands in the Maldives, connected by bridge to Male and twice the capital’s elevation. It is also artificial, having been created by pumping sand up from the seabed. It’s a solution not only to rising sea levels, but intense overcrowding in Male. The high-rise buildings here allow many families – who were often living 12 or more to a couple of rooms – to spread out.
Another initiative is a ‘Green Tax’ for tourists, currently a flat rate of six dollars per day. But there are limited records that can be accessed showing how this money is spent. “Current information shows that it’s used mostly for projects such as creating sewer systems, coastal protection, land reclamation, and water supply networks - all ‘local island’ based,” says Ruth.
Another initiative is a ‘Green Tax’ for tourists, currently a flat rate of six dollars per day. But there are limited records that can be accessed showing how this money is spent. “Current information shows that it’s used mostly for projects such as creating sewer systems, coastal protection, land reclamation, and water supply networks - all ‘local island’ based,” says Ruth.
Holidays that make a difference
As well as spreading the economic benefits of tourism, Responsible Travel’s holidays encourage community-led conservation of the Maldives’ cultural heritage, and its troubled ecosystems. Staying in carefully chosen, often family-run accommodation, during your trip you might learn about how traditional dhoni boats are built, take a cookery class with a women’s development council, or swap stories over dinner in the home of a local family.
These holidays put a strong focus on nature conservation, giving you first-hand introductions to community- and NGO-led projects, and explaining why these measures are necessary.
“One example is on our island hopping and conservation cruises,” says Ruth. “We visit islands where people will see palm trees that have fallen over, as the roots didn’t have structure. And we go to islands where there are mangroves, and we’re highlighting the issues around them. Showing people that they may not look pretty but they have their purpose for keeping the sand together, and sequestering carbon.”
Tourism businesses naturally want the islands to be safe and accessible for as long as possible. Many Maldives resort islands now promote their various environmental programmes: planting their own mangroves, installing solar panels, harvesting rainwater… Which are great, and mean that everyone can feel like they’re doing their part, but to be honest it’s like asking your guests to turn off the tap when brushing their teeth while ignoring the gushing leak from the plumbing. It’s big, government-level changes that are needed in the Maldives more than anything – protecting coasts, major planting projects, intelligent land use, and innovative engineering projects.
“Sustainability is still more spoken about than acted on, but I do think there are far more positive initiatives at a government level in recent years,” says Ruth, “We just have to wait for them to come to fruition.” The Maldives doesn’t have a whole lot of time to wait, which is why we love working with people like Ruth and her team, who are giving much-needed attention to the issues and creating holidays that make a positive difference.
These holidays put a strong focus on nature conservation, giving you first-hand introductions to community- and NGO-led projects, and explaining why these measures are necessary.
“One example is on our island hopping and conservation cruises,” says Ruth. “We visit islands where people will see palm trees that have fallen over, as the roots didn’t have structure. And we go to islands where there are mangroves, and we’re highlighting the issues around them. Showing people that they may not look pretty but they have their purpose for keeping the sand together, and sequestering carbon.”
Tourism businesses naturally want the islands to be safe and accessible for as long as possible. Many Maldives resort islands now promote their various environmental programmes: planting their own mangroves, installing solar panels, harvesting rainwater… Which are great, and mean that everyone can feel like they’re doing their part, but to be honest it’s like asking your guests to turn off the tap when brushing their teeth while ignoring the gushing leak from the plumbing. It’s big, government-level changes that are needed in the Maldives more than anything – protecting coasts, major planting projects, intelligent land use, and innovative engineering projects.
“Sustainability is still more spoken about than acted on, but I do think there are far more positive initiatives at a government level in recent years,” says Ruth, “We just have to wait for them to come to fruition.” The Maldives doesn’t have a whole lot of time to wait, which is why we love working with people like Ruth and her team, who are giving much-needed attention to the issues and creating holidays that make a positive difference.
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