Beneath them the coral reefs are dying, and so is the bait that breeds there. With no bait, there can be no fish for Captain Ali Usuf and his men.

 

Because of global warming, it's difficult to get bait. This affects our life. Even today one boat left because they didn't catch any bait.

 

But it's not just fishermen who are worried, rising sea levels are threatening the very existence of the Maldives. Eighty percent of these islands are merely a meter above sea level. Within a hundred years, they could be completely uninhabitable, leaving 360,000 people homeless.

 

If the signs are correct, well, we're going to be the one of the first countries to be affected by sea level rise and the climate change. Well, we have known this scenario.

 

Authorities say they are doing the little they can. They are trying to revive the coral reefs, which protect the coast from tidal waves. They also hope to relocate people to a new elevated manmade island, but ultimately the government here is depressingly aware that their fate lies in the hands of more powerful countries.

 

Ultimate responsibility lies with the nations that are primarily responsible for, for global warming.

 

For the Maldives, it may already be too late to turn back the clock on climate change. The island's newly elected president is even considering buying a brand-new homeland, a last resort to save his sinking people.