Failure to hit climate targets is death sentence for Maldives, says minister

Environment minister Aminath Shauna says climate change threatens the livelihood and culture of the Maldives (AP Photo/Mohammed Seeneen, File)

A failure to limit global warming could mean a “death sentence” for small island nations like the Maldives, including the end of their livelihoods and cultures, the country’s environment minister said on Wednesday.

Almost all countries signed the 2015 Paris climate accord, aimed at limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above levels in the late 19th century, and ideally no more than 1.5 C (2.7 F). But the world already has warmed nearly 1.1 C (2 F), scientists say.