maldives

THORIQ IBRAHIM, the Maldives Minister of Environment and Energy and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, argues for optimism at COP23 and asks fellow leaders to make it into a 'joyous occasion'.

After restoring democracy to the Maldives in 2008 President Nasheed became a world leader on climate change. But four years later the old regime deposed him in a coup, and now he has been imprisoned for 13 years on bogus 'terrorism' charges. Now we must stand with Nasheed - by starving the island state of its tourism revenues.

The Maldives, a vast republic of scattered islands in the Indian Ocean, has worked hard to make its fisheries among the world's most sustainable, writes Tony Juniper. But now the EU has slapped a 20% levy on its fish exports due to human rights concerns - a move that mainly hits poor fisherfolk innocent of any wrongdoing.

The film follows the struggle between Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed and sea level rise. As the Maldives continue to be threatened by climate change, Nasheed realises it is time to take action before his country disappears under the ocean.

Giant manta rays could be driven away from world-famous feeding site in five years because of disruption from tourist industry, warns leading marine biologist