Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Wednesday indirectly responded to President-Elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's remarks about not believing that the Maldives could sink due to sea level rise.
President Maumoon was the first Maldivian President who tried to bring the threats posed to the country by climate change to the attention of the international community. During his presidency, he expressed concern at the UN General Assembly and other international fora.
The President-Elect said he does not believe the Maldives could disappear due to sea level rise in an interview with Al Jazeera.
In a social media post with a graph showing sea level rise over the past 30 years, Maumoon said sea level rise due to global warming was a scientific fact.
"Everyone must accept scientific truths. Sea level rise as a result of global warming is one such truth. Satellite data shows that sea level rose by 3.4 millimeters in the past 30 years," he wrote.
Muizzu faced widespread criticism for dismissing the most likely consequence of climate change to the Maldives in his first interview with international media since being elected President.
Some people expressed concern that the country's outspoken stance on environmental issues in the international arena could change with the new government.
But his remarks in the Al Jazeera interview were misinterpreted to mean that he does not believe in climate change, the President-Elect's Spokesman Mohamed Firuzul said later.
