Saving Paradise

Category: climate change | Date: Sep 01 2009 | By: savingparadise

In case you have not seen it, a very strong message has been sent by the President of Maldives to the world as we countdown to the climate change talks in Copenhagen in December: “Please don’t be stupid”. The message was sent during the premiere of the “Age of Stupid”, an environmental film set in the devastated future world of 2055 that asks the question, “why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?”

Here is the video from YouTube with the message. The Maldives’ low lying islands are threatened by sea level rise caused by climate change. Island States like the Seychelles are acutely vulnerable to climate change.

See also the “Not stupid Campaign“.

Tags: climate change, Island States, Maldives, Not stupid Campaign, sea level rise, The Age of Stupid

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Category: Cousin Island, Nature Seychelles | Date: Jun 30 2009 | By: savingparadise

Efforts to make Cousin Island the first carbon neutral Reserve in the world received a dose of publicity this past weekend through a CNN World Report submitted by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC).

Nature Seychelles wants to put in place a carbon offset program to protect the environment, maintain Cousin’s reputation as a world class reserve, and reassure visitors that their travel to the Reserve would be carbon neutral.

“Fly less” is one of the most recognized green mantras. Air travel is continually being slammed for producing climate-destroying greenhouses gases.  In some places, tourists are being advised to avoid such travel altogether. This could harm destinations such as Seychelles, which are economically dependent on tourism.

Privately managed conservation sites,  such as Cousin Island Special Reserve, could also be hard hit as they depend on  ecotourism revenues for conservation. Cousin Island attracts about 11,000 international eco-tourists annually.

We will of course keep you updated on this project. We would also love to hear from you about any carbon reduction undertakings you have had.

Meanwhile, you can watch the report at the CNN website here 

Tags: climate change, greenhouse gases, tourism, travel

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