A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Urban Environmental Management

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2008

In the context of climate change and associated impacts, the long-term survival of Maldives, which is a low-lying Small Island Developing State in the Indian Ocean, has been questioned with the release of the latest climate change predictions. This study therefore aims to understand the vulnerability of Urban Regional Centres of Maldives to climate change by presenting evidence from centres in the north and south of Maldives. The study initially outlines the vulnerability of these islands to climate change and climate variability by looking at the historical records of events and their impacts. This reveals that both regional urban centres are exposed to similar climatic events. Based on the meteorological data the study describes the climate trends of both areas and finds an increasing trend in maximum annual temperature and sea level and a decreasing trend of annual precipitation level. In the second part of the study, household surveys in both islands look into the household perceptions of local weather patterns and global climate change issues, household impacts and adaptation. This research finds that the households of both study areas were mainly affected by heavy rain fall and wind storms and that flooding due to heavy rainfall and the blowing off of roofs were the major impacts identified by the respondents. The study also looks into the adaptation actions taken by the households. Findings indicate that risk and/or fear played a major role in adaptation behaviour, as households who had been affected by any incident have taken some kind of adaptation measure. However, household income is found not to be a major determinant of adaptation behaviour as households with lower income category also have taken adaptation measures. As knowledge is important for adaptation, the study also identifies households' perceptions of their local weather patterns and knowledge of causes and impacts of global climate change. Household perceptions of their local and global climate change issues are also reviewed with more emphasis on factors contributing to these perceptions. One of the major findings is that respondents' knowledge of causes of climate change depends on their occupation and educational attainment, and that these factors do not playa key role in knowledge of impacts of climate change. The study also reveals that the respondents' knowledge of impacts of climate change is greater than the knowledge of causes of climate change. This is also true for the housewives and unemployed categories