This is the original video from the Maldives President. In this address he announces the 10 year transition to a zero-carbon economy.

Below is the full transcript of the address.


Hello, my name is Mohamed Nasheed and I am the President of the Maldives.

Many of you will have heard of the Maldives through your travel agents or in magazines as a lovely place to come for a holiday or honeymoon – and indeed it is.

There is nowhere on the earth quite like it – palm-fringed islands, just above sea, surrounded by soft sand, turquoise lagoons and beautiful coral reefs.

However, the source of our natural beauty – our proximity to the sea – is the very thing that makes us so vulnerable to climate change.

My office here in Male’ is just 1.5 meters above sea level.

So when I sit down for my national security briefings, I tell my advisors – talk to me about terrorism, talk to me about espionage after you’ve briefed me on climate change and rising seas.

Maldivians have lived in these islands for over 2,000 years. And we don’t want to trade paradise for an environmental refugee camp.

But climate change isn’t something that only threatens the Maldives; it threatens us all.

The Maldives might be the front line against the enemy of climate change; but if you don’t take care of your front line infantry; god help your cavalry, your artillery and your generals.

We’ve all heard about the frightening feedback-loops and tipping points, that the world is getting perilously close to and that could lead to run-away global warming, beyond the control of man.

I say this: if the world can’t save countries such as the Maldives today; we won’t be able to save places such as London, New York or Hong Kong tomorrow.

What we need to do, together, is nothing short of de-carbonising the entire world economy.

Will this be difficult to accomplish? definitely.

Will this be painful to do? probably.

Will this be possible to achieve? absolutely.

If man can walk on the moon; we can unite to conquer
our common carbon enemy.

I know this is possible and I am willing to play my part. And I can announce to you today that the Maldives, within [10] years, will generate all its electricity from renewable sources.

If we can achieve this – a small, relatively poor country – there can be no excuse from the rich, industrial nations who claim that going green is too complex, too expensive or too much bother.

Now the world has an opportunity to come together and prevent the looming environmental catastrophe. That opportunity is called Copenhagen.

And let’s be very frank about this: Copenhagen can be one of two things.

It can be an historic event where the world unites against carbon pollution, in a collective spirit of co-operation and collaboration.

Or, Copenhagen can be a suicide pact.

The choice is that stark.

My message to you, my message to the world, is simply this: please, don’t be stupid.