Decarbonising – the action starts here

Daryl Hannah and Richard Branson

Under the shady canopy of palm trees, Edward Norton, one of the biggest names in Hollywood and an equally important voice in the global environmental movement, is chatting to Mark Lynas, climate change advisor to the President of the Maldives.

A stone’s throw away, Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, is wandering barefoot along the beach, chatting on his mobile phone to a business contact.

Close by, sitting at tables scattered on the golden sand of the atoll, journalists from the world’s largest media organisations are locked in animated talks with some of the biggest names in business and environmental activism.

Welcome to Soneva Fushi, one of the finest resorts in the Maldives and home to the third annual Six Senses SLOW LIFE Symposium.

Over the next four days, delegates at this unique event will address some of the greatest environmental challenges facing the Maldives and the rest of our fragile planet.

The economic benefits of reducing carbon emissions, the looming global energy crisis and preserving ocean biodiversity are all among the topics being discussed during the Symposium.

And the event is not just about discussion – but rather it is a meeting of the leading minds in their fields who are committed to working together to create practical solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges.

The Maldives is – by necessity – at the forefront of the battle against climate change.  Most climate change experts agree that if global warming is left to advance unchecked, the Maldives simply won’t be here in a couple of generations.

Activists have gathered at Soneva Fushi to witness first hand the depressing changes to the Maldives already taking place.

But they are also here to see what can be done. President Nasheed of the Maldives has pledged that his country will become carbon neutral by 2020.  And Soneva Fushi, Six Senses’s flagship resort, is a test bed for technologies that the island nation will become reliant upon for its future.

Sonu Shivdasani, the Chief Executive of Six Senses, has pledged that Soneva Fushi will become decarbonising by 2013.  To get there, the resort is embracing a range of renewable energy generation technologies as well as reducing the amount of energy it uses.

Six Senses is committed to providing the tourism and travel industries with a road map to carbon neutrality.

The Symposium is a major part of that vision.

This website will provide live updates and video from the Symposium over the next four days. Please check back regularly and follow us on Twitter to learn more about our work.