In the Maldives capital, The Maldives’ Maldives is a place of iceberg-covered sand beaches and pristine green hills, with its beaches dotted with icebergs.
Its famous glacier has retreated to its most northern end, with no ice sheets in sight.
But just because there is no ice doesn’t mean icebergs aren’t there.
And if the glaciers are melting, then icebergs could still exist in the Maldivian interior, a problem for the region’s economy.
“Ice is very, very fragile,” said Mohammed Hassan Ali, a climate researcher at the University of Thessaloniki.
“If there are no glaciers, then the ice sheets are gone.
The glaciers are not only an asset but also an ecological and economical asset.
If they’re gone, there’s no money to invest in the infrastructure that the Maldis have.
It’s very, very expensive.”
In 2010, the Maldive government announced plans to build a new road in the region.
However, in the same year, the National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) announced that it had signed a lease to build the road.
The government did not disclose what terms the contract would be for.
On Monday, the government also announced a project that will allow it to purchase land to construct a new bridge.
The new road would link the northernmost section of the Maldian capital to the southernmost section.
Al-Shamsa said the road project is important to Maldivians who are reliant on their land for their livelihoods.
“In a very dry and cold climate, a road will be very, much more feasible, because there are still plenty of iceberg habitats,” he said.
Maldives has the world’s fourth-highest population density in the world, with an average of 2,100 people per square kilometer.
According to the Maldiva Meteorological Institute, an average winter temperature in the country ranges from minus 20C to minus 50C, with highs in the range of -12C to +10C.
There are no plans to add additional roads to the capital to accommodate additional traffic, Al-Shamesa said.
