Cape Town [South Africa], November 26 : Emphasising on climate change issues, former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed stressed that nobody will survive if the world temperature goes above 1.5 degrees.
Nasheed said this while addressing the session on 'Guardians of the Coast: Island States and Climate Challenges,' on Day 2 of the 'Cape Town Conversation' here.
"We will not survive if the world temperature goes more than 1.5 degrees. Our forum will be negotiating for 1.5 degrees and better protection. We have a climate prosperity plan, these are low-carbon development strategies that would give you the same economic outcomes without crashing," he said on Saturday.
Nasheed said that there are more than 20 countries that will go into default in the next 20 years due to bad weather.
"And these numbers are set to rise. So regardless of how the world moves forward, nature will ensure that climate comes to the forefront for all countries," he added.
Further, he shed light on the ongoing Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars and stated that the war in Gaza and Ukraine has shadowed many environmental issues, adding that, "We must bring them back to focus."
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Observer Research Foundation Sunjoy Joshi emphasised that climate change is an immediate existential threat.
"Climate threats today endanger everybody and climate-induced issues spill over into various other domains. It is an immediate existential threat," he said.
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Moreover, Nasheed said that he is working on the Climate Vulnerable Forum, stressing that this forum has 58 countries.
"We will be negotiating block and will focus on 1.5 degrees," he added.
"Nature will bring back the environment focus with storms, floods. Right now Gaza is on screen and soon bad weather will be back on screen," Nasheed said.
Further emphasising climate change issues, Nasheed said that the climate negotiating block has devised low-carbon strategies that incorporate nature-based solutions and will keep working to bring climate change issues to the global agenda.
"Trying to work against nature is not going to save us," the former Maldives president said, adding, "The present idea of adaptation involves concrete and that is neither a practicable nor a sustainable solution."
Earlier in the day, expressing his view on recent developments in India-Maldives ties, Nasheed said the future of the island country lies with an ever-stronger relationship with India and he believes the new government will understand its intricacies.
Nasheed also endorsed India as the voice of the Global South, calling it a leader that other countries should follow.
"We have our views in our development efforts and depend not just on Western views in our development efforts but also in our development thoughts," he added.
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