Maldivian cabinet today met at the bottom of the sea, marking the first ever such meeting to be held underwater. A declaration calling for concerted global action on climate change, ahead of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen was signed at the underwater venue. The declaration was approved at the 25-minute cabinet meeting presided over by President Mohammad Nasheed. It will be presented at the Copenhagen meet on climate change in December. The declaration said global warming is sending the ice caps crashing into the sea leading to sharp rise in water levels and threats to the low-lying nations. <br/>Nasheed and his cabinet colleagues scuba-dived to their underwater rendezvous and spent 45 minutes sitting across a number of tables immersed to the bottom of the sea, off the Girifushi island, about 35 nautical miles from capital Male. Nasheed and his colleagues used white boards and hand signals to communicate their decisions at the under-sea meet. All the ministers had undergone diving courses for the past two months to keep their underwater date. <br/>Maldives comprises of more than 100 islands scattered over an area of 800 kms across the equator, and 90 per cent are just one metre above sea level.<br/><br/><br/><br/>