The Maldives' Cabinet members eschewed suits in favor of scuba gear Saturday, as the ministers of the tiny island nation held the world's first underwater Cabinet meeting. And they weren't just there to splash around—sitting at a table on the ocean floor, they communicated with hand gestures and then proceeded to sign a document calling on all nations to cut carbon emissions, pronto. The threats of global warming are more immediate to the residents of the Maldives than just about anyone else in the world. The nation's islands sit an average of just 7 feet above sea level, so even a slight melting of the polar ice caps could swamp their homes.
President Mohammed Nasheed has become a leading proponent of quick action to reduce global warming, and he has pledged to make the Maldives the first carbon-neutral nation in the world within the next decade. But if that isn't enough to stem the tide, his backup plan is in real estate: Nasheed announced that he's going to start a fund to purchase new land for the nation's 350,000 people in case the Maldives get submerged.
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