I really cannot put it any better than this video and press release. This is an amazing story — to add to already amazing plans for the 24th of October in the Maldives. Check out the video, and read on below…
Postcards from the Frontline, a movement initiated by a group of Maldivian photographers, artists, environmentalists, designers and writers who aim to send a nationwide appeal to 350 of the most influential people in the world via one-of-a-kind postcards, is receiving an overwhelming response from Maldivians eager to play their part in the battle against climate change.
The movement, which is affiliated with the international climate campaign 350.org, aims to send postcards of appeal to negotiators at the crucial UN Climate Change Conference 2009, which will be held in Copenhagen in December. In addition, postcards will also be sent to heads of states and governments, celebrity environmental ambassadors and environmental correspondents of major news networks, in order to give ‘a face’ to the issue in the hope that it will amplify the message of the precarious plight of the Maldives in time for the climate conference.
The objective of Postcards from the Frontline is to raise awareness of the vulnerability of the Maldives to the impact of unchecked global warming. With the average height of the group of islands at 1.5 metres above mean sea level and the highest point at a mere 2.7 metres above MSL, the Maldives is facing a very real risk of being one of the first places on earth to be wiped off the map, should the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere continue to be above 350 parts per million in future years.
With the publicity campaign in full swing, the photo submissions to Postcards from the Frontline’s official website have been pouring in, at the rate of three photos being uploaded every five minutes.
Behind the excitement, the propelling force lies in the gravity of the situation. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that rising sea levels of 59 centimetres within the century will submerge these low-lying islands beneath the waves. Bill McKibben, American environmentalist, writer and founder of 350.org points out, ‘the traditional postcard says "Wish you were here." These [350 postcards] come with the implicit message: "Hope you can still be here in 50 years."
The Maldives is a vision of paradise, and that vision needs to be in everyone’s minds as we negotiate the future of the planet’s climate’. The 350 photos chosen as appeals will be exhibited in Male’ on 24 October, the International Day of Climate Action, along with other 350 movements such as the 24 hour dive rally carried out by the Diving Association of the Maldives, and Operation Life-Raft 350 by a local artist who will row from Male’ to Hulhule Airport more than one kilometer away, on a life raft made entirely of recycled PET water bottles.
More information about the movement available on www.350postcards.com.