The idyllic Maldives could be uninhabitable in 100 years’ time because of rising sea levels.
The holiday islands are slowly but surely being enveloped by the sea and in a century could be completely under water, scientists are warning.
Four out of five of the 200 islands are only a metre or so above sea level now, and the water is rising at a rate of up to 0.9cm a year, BBC News reports.
The Maldives government is trying to plant more trees to slow down the rate of beach erosion, and is supporting a scheme to remove litter and debris from the islands’ coral reefs, which form a natural barrier against tidal surges. A 10ft wall has also been built around the capital Male.
As well as the thousands of tourists who got there, the islands have a population of about 360,000, who are facing evacuation if the scientists prove to be correct.
