Maldives: In a Troubled Paradise, Time Runs Out on Environmental Deadline

The Maldives are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean. They are a very popular vacation spot and the industry is growing at a rapid rate. It seems that the Maldives are a paradise. But underneath the tropical weather and beautiful hotels is an environmental disaster. Water pollution is destroying the corral in the atolls that scatter the archipelago. Also the majority of the maldives is an average of only 1.8 meters above sea level. This poses a great problem for them due to global warming. If the water level rises only a few feet, all of the islands could vanish. 

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097119,00.html