Ecological damage caused by tourists flying to the Maldives could be offset by a proposed daily "green tax", an expert has said.

John Buckley, managing director of environmental advice firm Carbon Footprint, said that a proposal from the Maldives government to introduce a $3 (£1.80) per day green tax on tourists is "probably enough" to offset ecological damage caused by their flights.

He went on to comment that many operators are making an effort to differentiate themselves and take advantage of consumer demand by offering greener travel.

President of the Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed, proposed the green tourist tax and said proceeds would go towards funding the country's climate change projects.

Mr Nasheed's vice president, Dr Mohamed Waheed, said the government believed that responsible leadership required "that we leave to our children a legacy that is better than the one we inherited".

He added we should do everything possible to stop global warming, not for political or economic reasons, but because it is the right thing to do.

Of course, the Maldives is so low-lying it will be one of the first to be affected by rising sea levels. One does have to wonder whether the $3 a day tax is really going to help them if all the Arctic ice melts.