Diva Resort Hotel, Maldives

• Environmental Issues
Over the last century, sea levels have risen about 20 centimetres (8 in); further rises of the ocean could threaten its existence, with a maximum natural ground level of only 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in), averaging only 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level. Current estimates place sea level rise at 59 centimetres (23 in) by the year 2100. However, around 1970, the sea level there dropped 20–30 centimetres (8–12 in). In November 2008, President Mohamed Nasheed announced plans to look into purchasing new land in India, Sri Lanka, and Australia because of his concerns about global warming and the possibility of much of the islands being inundated with water from rising sea levels. The purchase of land will be made from a fund generated by tourism. The President has explained his intentions:
"We do not want to leave the Maldives, but we also do not want to be climate refugees living in tents for decades".
On 22 April 2008, then President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom pleaded for a cut in global greenhouse gas emissions, warning that rising sea levels could submerge the island nation of the Maldives.