Vulnerable: An exhibition on the fragile state of the Maldives

As rising seas pose dangers to the low-lying islands of Maldives, will the inhabitants move to higher ground such as the artificial island of Hulhamale created two meters above sea level? Or will they start a journey out in the blue ocean in search of a new home? Photograph: Muha/guardian.co.uk

Scattered across the vast blue ocean, the green islands encircled by the pure white beaches are at the mercy of strong winds and angry swells. Now it has to begin a new battle against global carbon emissions that threaten the existence of these atolls. Photograph: Ahmed Zahid/guardian.co.uk

The picturesque amalgamation of artificial and the natural in Male’, the capital of the Maldives. One of the most densely populated places in the world, Male’ is also one of the most vulnerable capital cities. Photograph: Muha/guardian.co.uk

When there is no other option the captain shall order the crew to abandon ship, but what if there is no dry land to swim to? The future of the children of the sea lies at stake as the global carbon emissions continue to rise. Photograph: Ali Rilwan/guardian.co.uk

The people of these islands have been living in harmony with nature for hundreds of years. However, their laidback life and very existence in the Maldives are under threat from rising seas and climate change. Photograph: Ali Nishan (Millzero)/guardian.co.uk

The remains of a house lie in ruins after collapsing from severe beach erosion in Maduvvari island, Raa Atoll, showing the vulnerability of the population and islands to erosion and changes in current patterns. It may also be a warning sign of more devastation to come as Maldives starts experiencing the impacts of climate change. Photograph: Saffah Faroog/guardian.co.uk

Coral reefs act as the first line of defense against wave action and storm surges. They reduce coastal erosion and protect the islands. Slightly warm temperatures can kill life in reefs and endanger the already vulnerable island of the Maldives. Photograph: guardian.co.uk

A concrete barrier acts as a shield against the wave action in an island of the Maldives. As wave action increases with climate change and sea levels rise, the cost of building such barriers will become a burden on the islanders and the government. Photograph: Ismail Moosa Fikry (Isee)/guardian.co.uk

Increased water temperatures will threaten the delicate reef ecosystems and the rich marine life. Slightly warmer tropical waters may kill the algae which reef animals use for food. The death of reefs will threaten not only the colourful fish but the inhabitants of the islands who depend on the reefs for their survival. Photograph: Azim Musthag/guardian.co.uk

Mohamed Nasheed, the first democratically elected President of the Maldives, has bold plans to buy land to relocate the population in a doomsday scenario and making the country carbon neutral within 10 years. However, for most islanders the immediate concern is day-to-day problems such as a lack of a harbor, which leads the President to walk on a plank to set foot on an island. Photograph: Ahmed Zahid/guardian.co.uk

Scientists say human-induced climate change is likely to cause extreme weather events and more powerful storms in the futures. Maldivians, who have relied on age-old traditional calendar nakaiy for predicting weather, find weather patterns difficult to predict now and the nakaiy less reliable. Photograph: Muha/guardian.co.uk

An elderly man in the island of Fuvahmulah reflects on the loss of a beach that could have been his childhood playground. Increases in sea levels are expected to deteriorate beach erosion making the islands of the Maldives more vulnerable. Photograph: Aminath Zuhudha/guardian.co.uk

Mamma! Where did the beach go? The Maldives is described in magazines and brochures as “the ideal tropical holiday destination.” But could these be the same thoughts going on in Hassan’s mind as he looks sadly at the eroding beach? Would there come a time when our future generations find our white sandy beaches only in archived photographs? Photograph: Hisham Saeed/guardian.co.uk

Climate change and rising water temperatures will have adverse effects on the livelihood of these fishermen, who have used skills passed on by their forefathers to practice the sustainable method of pole and line fishery. Photograph: Ahmed Zahid/guardian.co.uk

A protective seawall extends into the blue lagoon in an island of the Maldives. The cost of building such barriers will increase as the nation faces the impacts of climate change and fights to preserve its idyllic environment and way of life in the coming decades. Photograph: Ahmed Shujau/guardian.co.uk

The Maldives is a coral nation – coral reefs have been described as the tropical rainforests of the sea. In recent years, more and more parts of reefs are suffering bleaching due to warming water temperatures. Photograph: Ali Nishan (Millzero)/guardian.co.uk

On December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami crashed into the islands of the Maldives as a wave of devastation. The islands face the prospect of more frequent wave action and flooding if the current trends of emission of green house gases continue. Photograph: Firas Afeef/guardian.co.uk

A freshwater lake and mangrove ecosystem in the unique island of Fuvahmulah. Such ecosystems hold the soil together and balance the fresh water lenses of islands. Increased ocean flooding due to global warming may damage these areas by changing the supply of nutrients and the amount of salt. Photograph: Saffah Faroog/guardian.co.uk

In several islands of the Maldives, the white sandy beaches are being swallowed by the advancing waters and the lush green coconut palms are falling from erosion. What will be the impact if the waters rise a few feet higher? Photograph: Ahmed Eagan/guardian.co.uk

If global carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked, these children or their children could be forced to leave the islands of the Maldives and abandon the balmy waters and colourful kaleidoscope of rainbows. Photograph: Muha/guardian.co.uk