President Nasheed tops the Heroes of the Environment 2009 list by TIME magazine

President Mohamed Nasheed has been chosen by TIME magazine for its Heroes of the Environment 2009 list.

In this week’s issue of TIME magazine, President Nasheed tops the list of leaders and visionaries for his advocacy on climate change.

In his interview with the magazine, the president said the Maldives was on the world’s frontline of climate change. “And, in a sense, we are its only hope,” he said.

In March, the government announced its target of becoming carbon neutral within a decade by shifting to renewable energy and offsetting emissions.

The TIME article states that environmentalists hail the president as “a climate change standard bearer.”

During President Nasheed’s visit to New York, he was one of the eight world leaders chosen by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to address the UN Summit on Climate Change.

During his visit, President Nasheed also addressed at the High-Level Climate Summit of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), which was the first summit of the AOSIS coalition held at heads of state or government level.