With new measures and green initiatives, the Maldives is hoping to become the cleanest country in the world, a senior official said. The Indian Ocean archipelago is already phasing out single-use plastic, including water bottles, and projects that could reduce its carbon footprints.

In the next few years, there is hope to label the Maldives as the “cleanest” country in the entire world, Hussain Amru, the managing director of the State Trading Organization (STO), while speaking at an event hosted by the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation, themed “Evolving Trade Towards Regional Cooperation, Sustainability, and Inclusivity”.

Known for its white sandy beaches, emerald waters and thousands of islands, the Maldives has introduced a green tax, paid by visiting tourists, to create a green fund. The aim is to allocate the collected fund wholly for environmental projects and green initiatives.

The country of half a million people has set a target to go net-zero by 2030. This means that any projects which could increase the country’s carbon emissions will not be undertaken, Amru was quoted as saying in Raajje TV. 

In the last two decades, the Maldives’ gross domestic product (GDP) grew from $500 million to $6 billion, and the per capita income from $2000 to $10,000. The country’s tourism industry has played a crucial role in transforming its economy.

However, sustaining this transformation also needs a holistic approach to the development of ambition and environmental impacts, especially when the island countries are even more vulnerable to the crisis.

With more funding from bilateral and multilateral partners, the Maldives is taking more green projects. By 2024, most single-use plastics will be banned.

(SAM)