The President of the Maldives has set an example for the world by announcing that his country will be carbon-neutral within a decade. Half a square kilometre of rooftop solar panels, 155 large wind turbines and a biomass plant burning coconut husks will generate the electricity the island country needs. Excess will be stored in batteries for times when there's no sun or wind.

The Maldives will be one of the first countries affected by rising seas that climate scientists warn of. President Mohamed Nasheed announced his plans at the premiere of The Age of Stupid last weekend, seriously trumping our own Ed Milliband's waffling excuses about growth and low carbon growth and China and India. You can compare the two talks at the Age of Stupid.

British climate experts Mark Lynas and Chris Goodall were involved in developing the plan, and outline the thinking behind it in detail at Carbon Commentary.

photo by muha

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