Possible Solutions to Address the Problems

Long-term solutions for the tourism sector include the development and implementation of national policies, regulations, and coordination towards adapting climate change. Current policies are focused on preserving the ecosystems and preventing the worsening of certain effects (i.e. coral bleaching). Policy making will require the involvement of foreign experts to assist the Maldivian government. The government must also help businesses by providing incentives to encourage them to change their method of running and to prepare them for climate change adaptation. This is important for both sides because tourism accounts for a huge chunk of the Maldivian economy. Internally, the government needs to strengthen the Ministries of Tourism, Environment, Energy & Water, and Atolls Development in order to anticipate and cope with the changes brought by climate change. For tourist resorts, more practical methods can be implemented. Upgraded wastewater management can help preserve surrounding corals and fishery. Reduce, reuse, and recycle is a great management strategy for dealing with solid waste. Finally, the use of safari boats between destinations reduces seawater pollution.

In order to prevent the impending mass Maldivian refugee crisis, alternative solutions have been sought after. One suggestion is for the Maldivian government to establish bilateral migration agreements with other nations. This solution is referenced from New Zealand's Pacific Access Scheme in 2001, where a certain number of residents of Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Tonga will migrate annually to New Zealand each year. For the case of Maldives, these agreements can be made with neighboring countries of Sri Lanka and India due to the relative smaller cultural differences between the three populations. Australia and Canada are also potential partners for Maldives because of their relative underpopulation and their already culturally diverse population. Accepting a certain quota of immigrants per year can minimize chaos and disruption in Maldives as well as not creating extra trouble and resentment in receiving countries. A less feasible solution of buying a new homeland has also been proposed in 2008 by the government. The plan is to divert a percentage of the annual tourist revenue into a fund that will be used to purchase a new homeland. The advantage of this solution is the preservation of Maldivian culture and identity because those will be preserved in the new homeland. But buying a new homeland will be very expensive and it will cause enormous pressure on the current vulnerable Maldivian economy. A possible alternative to fundraising is for the international community to help out by "charging" a commission of 2% on the global carbon trade, since carbon trade relates directly to global warming and the subsequent rise of sea levels. This will generate 250 million USD per year based on current markets.

For protecting coastlines, education is definitely needed for the local island governments about the different island types and the characteristics of each. This is needed as atolls and large islands have very different current and wind patterns. A possible conclusion is that for islands with larger population densities and size (such as Male), infrastructural solutions may be the preferred method to prevent erosion. Smaller islands and atolls, however, can use an alternative approach. These islands can utilize the island's strong dynamic forces instead of building structure after structure to prevent erosion. This would require the education of nearshore processes and the specifics of how the island reuglates itself. The government should be wary of the use of previous methods (i.e. building engineered structures) because they run the risk of multiplying and worsening existing problems.