Maldives can reach net-zero emissions by 2030 with international support: President Solih

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih declared on Saturday that Maldives could achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 with international support and assistance.

He made the statement while outlining the country's climate commitments at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, which was held virtually to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement.

President Solih stated that Maldives could reduce a quarter of carbon emissions by 2030 with the amount of resources currently available.

However, he expressed the wish for Maldives to commit to achieving net-zero emissions by then, an ambitious target he stated could only be achieved if the international community consistently provided the technical and financial assistance they pledged to vulnerable countries such as Maldives, over many decades.

"The Maldives understands all too well the scale of climate change and is fully committed to meeting its challenge", he said during his remarks.

"Unlike countries that have the luxury of still focusing on mitigation, the Maldives is already directly impacted by the climate emergency and is being forced to undertake adaptation measures at an accelerated pace".

Declaring that Maldives will lead by example to reduce carbon emissions, President Solih assured that the island nation will do all that it can to address the climate emergency.

He urged international partners to fulfil their responsibilities, noting that their collective cooperation is required to cap the rise of global temperatures within the 1.5 degree Celsius limit.

The Maldivian parliament declared a climate emergency in February. However, despite Maldives' stance in the international arena, including advocacy at the COP summits and the country's call to criminalise ecocide at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the government faces criticism from environmental activists and NGOs over continuing to reclaim land and lagoon areas for development purposes, often in contrast with the ruling party's own electoral pledges.

Additionally, key pieces of protective legislation, including laws banning the procurement of coconut palms from local islands or the government's pledge to establish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an independent authority, remain yet to be passed or even put into motion.