The Maldives are a set of low-lying islands in the Indian Ocean. 80% of the islands are less than 1 metres above sea level and the highest point is only 2.3 metres up. But sea level has risen 52 millimetres in the last 15 years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has predicted a rise of up to 59 centimetres by 2100 (not including glacial melting) and the most extreme predictions put sea level at 25 metres above current levels by 2100. So, it doesn’t take a genius to work out the for the Maldives it is not a cae of sink or swim but rather a case of sink – the only uncertainty relates to how long it will take to go under. It could be 50-100 years (IPCC) but it could be much, much sooner. What is to be done? There are various plans afoot that range from building artificial sea walls or a raised island to house the population or puting buildings on raised platforms. An article in New Scientist, Issue 2707 [09 May 2009] discusses the problem facing the Maldives and reveals that the current government there is also contemplating what, to me, seems like the most logical approach, namely to divert a large amount of the islands’ income from tourism into a fund to buy land elsewhere in the world to which the Maldive islanders can relocate at an appropriate time int he future.
Tim O'Hare 
There’s a related article in New Scientist, Issue 2709 [23 May 2009] that describes evidence that ancient civilisations (e.g. 5000BC in the Caribbean and the Maya) coped with dramatic sea level rise (caused by glacial rebound) by building simple dwellings with easily available local materials on stilts and by making use of caves to shelter in during major storms (after which they re-built their houses).