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Maldives takes refuge from rising sea levels in coral sand castle

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Hulhumale, the artificial island in Maldives [File photo]

It was one of the most ambitious land reclamation projects in the world. In the aqua-blue waters of the South Indian Ocean, a cutter suction dredger was slicing its way through large coral boulders, pumping plumes of sediment into a shallow lagoon.

After seven years of construction, the Maldives had their first artificial island.

With 1.8 million square meters of land, Hulhumale was conceived as a place to relocate residents from Male, the country's capital and the most congested city in the world. But there could be another benefit as well.

The artificial island towers above sea level by almost 10 feet (some 3.3 meters). It's a slight but significant detail, as most of the the Maldives' 1,192 coral islands barely peer over the ocean's surface. As global temperatures rise and polar icecaps melt, the low-lying country's very existence is under threat from rising sea levels.

Such is the situation that President Mohamed Nasheed has even created a fund to buy a new homeland for his country's 350,000 people.

But perhaps Hulhumale, and islands like it, will stave off such an extreme scenario. The artificial island has the capacity to serve its original function and accommodate thousands of Maldivians displaced by climate change.

Currently, only 5,000 people live there. But by 2020, at least 45,000 more will have made the move.

"We don't have to force people to migrate from their islands," said Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan. "I think we just have to create the necessary conditions for people to move and they will."

Dotted throughout Hulhumale are several impressive buildings. Children play near Ghaazee School, a red and white pagoda-like structure. And just down the road, the sun shines brilliantly upon the golden dome of a mosque, which is encircled by white archways and manicured gardens.

But most of the streets in Hulhumale are exceptionally quiet. Except for a few construction workers and a few others, the island is void of the vibrant lifestyle that characterizes Male, something Vishaam Saeed sees as a blessing.

"It's not crowded like Male Island," he said with a smile, also noting the lack of nightlife. Not even a movie theater exists on the island yet.

Saeed, 19, who studies Information Technology and drives a taxi part time, lives with his parents in a government-owned three-bedroom house rented out at 250 U.S. dollars a month.

Like thousands of Maldivians, Saeed's father put his name in a government-run lottery. But, unlike the majority, his name was picked. Moving to Hulhumale is highly coveted. But with only a limited number of completed apartment buildings, the government must be selective.

A lack of funds has slowed construction and only the skeleton of a community has taken shape. The government had originally taken out commercial loans to pay for initial projects, but paying back the loans during the financial crisis has strained the finances.

In an interview at his home in Male, Vice President Hassan told Xinhua in October that whatever the pace, development throughout the Maldives must be inextricably linked with climate change.

"I think our biggest achievement is to put climate change at the center of our development discourse in this country," he said. "Everybody knows now that whatever we do in development, (it) has to be linked to the issue of climate change and environmental safety."

By 2020, the Maldives hopes to be the first "carbon-neutral" nation, which means phasing out fossil fuels and relying more on renewable energy, such as solar power. Already, signs of the transition are visible.

For example, many of the street lamps on Hulhumale are adorned with solar panels.

But finding the money for such expensive technologies is a constant challenge. Hassan said China's ability to produce low-cost technologies and goods would help developing countries like the Maldives afford the technology needed for sustainable development.

"We are looking at China, in a way, for some of these technologies to become affordable," he said, adding that lower costs would also help China reduce its greenhouse emissions. "China's industrialization process is going to benefit from the development of new technologies."

Remaining passive in the fight against climate change is tantamount to "benign genocide," said President Nasheed at the United Nations during a September summit on climate change.

The young and charismatic leader has been particularly vocal about harnessing the political will to draft a legally binding treaty on greenhouse emission cuts by December in Copenhagen, Denmark -- a feat that appears all the more illusive. In October, he convened the world's first underwater cabinet meeting to draw attention to the threat of rising sea levels.

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