Maldives to miss climate summit
The president of the Maldives has said that, even though his country is under threat from climate change, he cannot afford to go to a summit on the issue.
The president of the Maldives has said that, even though his country is under threat from climate change, he cannot afford to go to a summit on the issue.
President Mohamed Nasheed said his nation would only go to the December talks in Copenhagen if someone offered to pay for the trip.
He said the Maldives needed to be defended from the effects of global warming and rising sea levels. But he added that the country would have to do much of the work itself.
"We can't go to Copenhagen because we don't have the money," President Nasheed told journalists.
World leaders at the summit are aiming to create a new agreement to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocal, which expires in 2012. No part of the island state's territory lies more than 2.5m above sea level, and 50 of its islands are already severely eroding.
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