10 September 2009

Maldives considers green tax on tourists

MALE - The Maldives is planning a major clean-up of its green technology and is expecting its parliament to introduce a green tax of three dollars per tourist per day.

But president Mohamed Nasheed said his nation would only go to a December climate change summit in Copenhagen if someone offered to pay for the trip.

He said the Maldives needed to be defended from the effects of global warming and rising sea levels.

But he added that the country would have to do much of the work itself.

"We can't go to Copenhagen because we don't have the money," President Nasheed, told the BBC.

World leaders at the summit are aiming to create a new agreement to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

No part of the Maldives lies more than 2.5m above sea level, and 50 of its islands are already severely eroding.

President Nasheed wants the Copenhagen summit to come up with positive plans, like renewable energy promotion, rather than stressing what he called negative ones like capping carbon emissions.

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