>> SO THE QUEEN'S EXPERIENCE AND

KNOWLEDGE OF INTERNATIONAL

RELATIONS WILL OF COURSE BE

MISSED BY MANY.

JUST DAYS BEFORE HER DEATH SHE

HAD EXPRESSED SOLIDARITY AND

SADNESS WITH THE PEOPLE OF

PAKISTAN AS RECORD FLOODS SWEPT

THROUGH THE COUNTRY.

AS PEOPLE THERE ATTEMPT TO

REBUILD THEIR LIVES, OFFICIALS

WARN THAT IT MAY TAKE MONTHS FOR

THE WATERS TO RECEDE.

WHILE THE DEATH TOLL NEARS 1,500

CONCERN IS RISING AS DISEASE IS

SPREAD AMONG THE DISPLACED,

WHO'VE SEEN THEIR WHOLE LIVES

JUST WASHED AWAY.

AYESHA HAHN IS CHAIRMAN OF THE

CIVIC SOCIETY COALITION FOR

CLIMATE CHANGE AND RECENTLY

SPOKE TO HARI SRINIVASAN ABOUT

THE DEVASTATION AND THE IMPACT

OF THESE FLOODS.

AND THIS CONVERSATION IS PART OF

THE ONGOING PUBLIC MEDIA

INITIATIVE PERIL AND PROMISE, ON

THE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS OF

CLIMATE CHANGE.

>> CHRISTIANE, THANKS.

AYESHA HAN, THANK YOU FOR

JOINING US.

WE HEARD SOME OF THE STATISTICS.

PUT IN PERSPECTIVE FOR US.

YOU'RE ON THE GROUND THERE.

YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING WHAT'S

HAPPENING.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A THIRD OF

THE POPULATION OF A COUNTRY THE

SIZE OF PAKISTAN OR 30 MILLION

PEOPLE, HOW DO WE EVEN

CONCEPTUALIZE THAT?

>> VERY DIFFICULT.

THIS COUNTRY HAS SEEN DISASTERS

BEFORE.

WE HAD THE 2005 EARTHQUAKE.

WE HAD THE 2010 FLOODS.

BUT THIS IS LIKE A MONSTER

DISASTER.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE IMAGES IT'S

MIND-BOGGLING.

SO ONE THIRD OF THE COUNTRY AND

YOU SEE IT'S HAPPENING IN AREAS

WHERE PEOPLE WERE ALREADY

UNSERVED AND UNDERSERVED.

IT HAS STRUCK THE POORER AREAS

THE MOST.

SO IT HAS ACTUALLY AMPLIFIED

THEIR DIFFICULTIES AND PUT THEM

IN A VERY ROUGH SPOT.

>> FOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT BE

FAMILIAR WITH JUST THE GEOGRAPHY

OF PAKISTAN, WHAT STRETCH OF THE

COUNTRY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT

HERE AND HOW ARE THE FLOODS SORT

OF PROGRESSING OR WORKING THEIR

WAY DOWN?

>> THEY'RE ACTUALLY NOT WORKING

THEIR WAY DOWN.

THIS TIME THEY'RE WORKING THEIR

WAY UP.

THIS STARTED DEEP SOUTH IN THE

PROVINCE OF BALUCHISTAN.

THEN THEY WORKED UP TO THE

PROVINCE OF SIN AND THEN THEY

WENT UP NORTH.

SO WHAT'S HAPPENED THIS TIME IS

THE MONSOONS AND THE GLOBAL

WARMING THAT HAS ACCELERATED THE

MELTING OF THE GLACIERS HAS

COMBINED TOGETHER.

NORMALLY THERE'S ONE SYSTEM THAT

OF BENGAL OR FROM THE AREA BUT

THIS TIME BOTH SYSTEMS WERE

ACTIVE SIMULTANEOUSLY AND AT THE

SAME TIME THE MOUNTAINS AND THE

SNOWS STARTED -- THE SNOWS ON

THE MOUNTAINS RATHER STARTED

MELTING.

SO WHEN THE TWO CONVERGED, WE

HAVE AN AREA THAT IS DEEP SOUTH

THAT IS FLOODED FIRST AND NOW WE

HAVE UP NORTH THAT HAS ALSO BEEN

FLOODED.

SO IT'S A MEGA, MEGA DISASTER

THAT WE'RE FACING.

>> SO WHO IS MOST AFFECTED BY

THIS?

IS THIS MORE RURAL VERSUS MORE

URBAN?

MORE POOR VERSUS MORE RICH?

MORE FEMALE VERSUS MORE MALE?

>> I THINK WITH THE GENDER ISSUE

IT IS EQUAL NUMBERS BECAUSE IN A

HOUSEHOLD USUALLY THEY'RE EVENLY

DIVIDED.

SO THE AREAS WHERE IT HAS

HAPPENED IS THE SOUTHERN PARTS

OF THE COUNTRY, THE REMOTE AND

UNDERDEVELOPED PARTS OF THE

COUNTRY.

SO MOST OF THE POOR PEOPLE LIVE

THERE.

MOST OF THESE PEOPLE RELY ON

AGRICULTURE.

THEY RELY ON LIVESTOCK.

AND BOTH THESE SOURCES OF

LIVELIHOOD HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY

FROM THEM.

SO THEY ARE GETTING THE MOST

AFFECTED.

IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS IT BECOMES

EVEN MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE THE

TERRAIN IS VERY DIFFICULT AND

VERY DIFFERENT.

SO THEY ARE GETTING AFFECTED IN

A DIFFERENT WAY AND THEIR

DIFFICULTIES I THINK WILL SEE

MORE PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE

APPROACHING WINTER.

AS THE TEMPERATURES DROP IN THE

MOUNTAIN AREAS, THESE PEOPLE

WILL BE IN NEED OF SHELTER.

AND AS YOU MUST HAVE HEARD, WE

ARE VERY SHORT ON TEMPORARY

SHELTERS LIKE TENTS.

THERE'S SOMETHING LIKE 173,000

PEOPLE IN THE PROVINCE OF SINDH

WHO WILL BE PROVIDED WITH

TEMPORARY SHELTERS WHEREAS WE

NEED SOMETHING LIKE 5.2 MILLION

TENTS RIGHT NOW.

>> WHERE IS THE GOVERNMENT IN

TERMS OF FOOD AID?

WHERE IS THE INTERNATIONAL

COMMUNITY?

>> THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

IS HELPING.

AND THE GOVERNMENT IS PROVIDING

THEM WITH THE RELIEF AND RESCUE

OPERATIONS.

BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THE NEEDS

OF ALL THE PEOPLE CAN BE MET.

SO THERE IS MALNUTRITION.

THERE IS DISEASE.

AND THERE ARE DEATHS AS A RESULT

OF I THINK STARVATION AND

EXPOSURE TO THE ELEMENTS.

>> AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT

EXPOSURE, STANDING WATER, THAT

IS A PERFECT INGREDIENT FOR THE

SPREAD OF MALARIA AND DENGUE AND

OTHER WATER-BORNE ILLNESSES,

ESPECIALLY IN AREAS WHERE THEY

DON'T HAVE SEWAGE

INFRASTRUCTURE.

SO, I MEAN, WHAT ARE THE HEALTH

CONCERNS?

>> THE HEALTH CONCERNS ARE GOING

TO INCREASE.

THEY'RE ALREADY THERE.

MALARIA'S SPREADING VERY FAST.

DENGUE'S SPREADING VERY FAST.

AND THERE ARE SKIN DISEASES ALSO

THAT ARE BE BEING REPORTED,

RASHES ON THE SKIN.

ESPECIALLY WITH THE CHILDREN.

BECAUSE THERE'S NO HYGIENE.

THERE'S NO SANITATION.

AND THERE'S ANOTHER HEALTH

CRISIS.

A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF THE

WOMEN ARE PREGNANT, EXPECTING,

AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT THEY

CAN BE PROVIDED WITH ANY

FACILITY FOR DELIVERIES.

>> THE UNITED NATIONS POPULATION

FUND ESTIMATED 128,000 PREGNANT

WOMEN THAT ARE CAUGHT UP IN THIS

DISASTER.

HOW DO WOMEN FACE THESE

DISASTERS PERHAPS DIFFERENTLY IN

A COUNTRY LIKE PAKISTAN?

>> WOMEN ALWAYS HAVE A ROUGH

TIME.

YOU KNOW, EVEN WITHOUT DISASTERS

I THINK IN A COUNTRY WHICH IS

VERY LOW IN THE GENDER GAP

RANKING AND IN THE HUMAN

DEVELOPMENT INDEX AS WELL THE

WOMEN DON'T HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES.

SO IN A DISASTER SITUATION WHERE

THEY'RE IN CAMPS THEY HAVE

HEALTH PROBLEMS.

YOU'VE INDICATED TO THAT.

BUT THERE ARE OTHER PROBLEMS AS

WELL.

THERE'S PROBLEM OF GENDER-BASED

VIOLENCE.

THERE'S PROBLEM OF SEXUAL ABUSE.

THERE'S PROBLEM OF MENTAL

HEALTH.

SO ALL THESE PROBLEMS, YOU HE

KNOW, AFFECT WOMEN.

AND BECAUSE THEY ARE WEAKER AND

THEY HAVE NO ECONOMIC

INDEPENDENCE AND SOCIALLY I

THINK THEY ARE NOT ENCOURAGED TO

TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN

HANDS, THEY DON'T HAVE SOCIAL

SPACES OR SOCIAL SAFETY NETS.

SO THEY ACTUALLY BEAR THE BRUNT.

WHETHER IT'S CONFLICT OR

CLIMATE-INDUCED DISASTERS.

>> SO HOW ARE PEOPLE MAKING IT

OUT OF THESE FLOOD REGIONS?

IS THERE ANY TRANSPORTATION

INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S STILL

WORKING?

ARE THERE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE

CUT OFF, SO TO SPEAK?

>> THEY'RE CUT OFF.

WE HAVE SO MANY BRIDGES THAT

WERE DESTROYED.

WE HAVE ALMOST 5,000 KILOMETERS

OF ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS

DESTROYED.

SO THESE PEOPLE ARE ESSENTIALLY

TRAPPED WHERE THEY ARE AND THEY

ARE TOTALLY RELIANT ON RELIEF

RESCUE BY THE STATE AGENCIES AND

THE SUPPORT THE STATE IS GETTING

FROM COUNTRIES OUTSIDE.

>> SPEAKING OF COUNTRIES

OUTSIDE, IS THERE ANY MOVEMENT

TOWARD BASICALLY JUST HIGHER

GROUND BUT ALSO TOWARD COUNTRIES

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, INDIA OR

AFGHANISTAN?

>> TO REACH OUT FOR HELP?

>> NO, NO.

I MEAN ARE PEOPLE TRYING TO

LEAVE THE COUNTRY OR THEIR AREAS

OR ARE THEY JUST TRYING TO STAY

INSIDE PAKISTAN BUT JUST

SOMEPLACE MORE DRY?

>> THEY'RE STAYING INSIDE

PAKISTAN.

THEY'RE TRAPPED WHERE THEY ARE.

THEY CAN'T MOVE OUT RIGHT NOW.

AND IF THEY MOVE OUT, THEY WILL

ACTUALLY MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND

AND THEY WILL MOVE TO MAYBE THE

URBAN AREAS BECAUSE THEIR

STANDING CROPS HAVE BEEN

DESTROYED.

THEIR LAND ON WHICH THEY DO

CULTIVATION HAS BEEN DESTROYED.

AS IT IS IN PAKISTAN, SOUTH ASIA

AS A WHOLE BUT IN PAKISTAN THE

RATIO OF RURAL TO URBAN

MIGRATION HAS BEEN HIGH IN THE

LAST FEW YEARS.

IN FACT THEY SAY BY 2040 PERHAPS

50% OF PAKISTAN WILL BE LIVING

IN URBAN AREAS.

SO THERE ARE GOING TO BE URBAN

SPRAWLS.

AND ANOTHER KIND OF PROBLEMS

THAT WE WILL FACE IN THE NEXT

DECADE BECAUSE THE URBAN CITIES

REALLY DON'T HAVE THE

INFRASTRUCTURE RIGHT NOW TO MEET

THE NEEDS OF THE EXISTING

POPULATION.

>> THE OTHER THING I WANT TO

START LOOKING AT A LITTLE BIT IS

WHAT IS THE STATE OF PAKISTAN

EVEN BEFORE THESE FLOODS?

ECONOMICALLY, IT WAS

CHALLENGING.

WE'VE READ STORIES ABOUT HOW

HIGH INFLATION IS RIGHT NOW.

WHAT DOES THIS DISASTER DO TO A

COUNTRY THAT'S ECONOMICALLY NOT

IN A GREAT POSITION TO BE ABLE

TO DEAL WITH IT?

>> GOOD QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, I THINK EVEN WITHOUT

CLIMATE CHANGE WE WERE FACING A

LOT OF DIFFICULTIES.

AND I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY THE

WEAKEST THAT I HAVE SEEN

PAKISTAN BECAUSE POLITICALLY

THERE'S INSTABILITY.

SOCIALLY WE ARE HIGHLY

POLARIZED.

AND ECONOMICALLY WE ARE VERY

WEAK.

SO IN THIS CONDITION WHEN YOU

HAVE A DISASTER OF THIS

MAGNITUDE HIT YOU IT JUST

COMPOUNDS THE DIFFICULTIES AND

IT MAKES IT HE VERY DIFFICULT

FOR THE STAKEHOLDERS TO WORK

TOGETHER BECAUSE OF THE

POLARIZATION AND BECAUSE OF THE

POLITICAL FRAGMENTATION.

>> AND AT THIS POINT IS THE

FRUSTRATION FROM PERHAPS THE

LACK OF RESPONSE OR WHAT IS THE

REALITY IN THE LIVES OF SO MANY

PEOPLE, IS THAT BOILING OVER

INTO THE POLITICS?

>> I THINK IT WAS THERE IN THE

POLITICS EVEN BEFORE.

AND THIS IS JUST GOING TO

EXACERBATE THE DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT POLITICAL

PARTIES.

IF THEY DECIDE TO PUT POLITICAL

INTERESTS BEFORE HUMANITARIAN

INTERESTS.

BECAUSE IF EVERYONE TRIES TO GET

POLITICAL MILEAGE OUT OF IT IT'S

GOING TO BE AT THE EXPENSE OF

THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING

RIGHT NOW.

SO I HOPE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN.

I HOPE SOME BETTER SENSE

PREVAILS AND EVERYONE COMES

TOGETHER BECAUSE THIS IS A TIME

FOR NATIONAL UNITY, NOT FOR

DISCORD.

>> YOU'RE THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

FOR CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION FOR

CLIMATE CHANGE, AND YOU ARE PART

OF INTERNATIONAL CONVERSATIONS

FREQUENTLY.

WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU IN TERMS

OF THE RESPONSIBILITY OR WHAT

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

NEEDS TO DO?

NOT JUST SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS

DISASTER BUT TRYING TO DECREASE

THE CLIMATE CHANGE THAT PAKISTAN

IS WITNESSING.

>> I THINK THIS IS A TIME FOR

RECKONING.

I THINK CLIMATE CHANGE

CONVERSATIONS THAT STARTED AS

WAY BACK AS 1972 WITH THE

STOCKHOLM CONVENTION AND THEN

THE PROGRESS TO THE EARTH SUMMIT

IN RIO, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN

PERHAPS THE LONGEST IN THE

HISTORY OF NEGOTIATIONS.

WE'VE HAD 26 CONFERENCE OR

PARTIES AND THE OUTCOMES HAVE

MOSTLY BEEN DILUTED.

THEY'RE DELAYED.

THEY'RE DISAPPOINTING.

AT THESE CLIMATE CONFERENCES

THERE ARE LOFTY DECLARATIONS

ABOUT JUST TRANSITION ABOUT

DEVELOPMENT THAT LEAVES NO ONE

BEHIND OR ONE HUMANITY AND

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY.

SO NOW IS THE TIME I THINK FOR

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO

COME OUT AND ACTUALLY TRANSLATE

THAT INTO ACTION.

AND THE FIRST THING THAT NEEDS

TO BE DONE RIGHT NOW IS IDENTIFY

THE CAUSE OF THIS VULNERABILITY.

BECAUSE IT IS CLIMATE CHANGE.

IT IS GLOBAL WARMING.

SO I THINK THE HIGH EMITTING

COUNTRIES NEED TO FAST TRACK

EMISSION REDUCTION.

THEY NEED TO SPEND MORE ON

MITIGATION AT HOME.

AND THEY NEED TO PROVIDE

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES OR

COUNTRIES THAT ARE HIGHLY

VULNERABLE, AND YOU'VE SEEN

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO PAKISTAN.

TODAY IT'S US.

TOMORROW IT MIGHT BE SOMEBODY

ELSE.

BUT MORE MONEY HAS TO BE GIVEN

TO ADAPTATION.

>> THE CLIMATE DOESN'T

NECESSARILY CARE ABOUT BORDERS.

IT DOESN'T CARE ABOUT REGIONS.

RIGHT?

IT'S HAPPENING WHETHER WE LIKE

IT OR NOT.

HOW DOES PAKISTAN, FOR EXAMPLE,

MAKE A CASE TO THE INTERNATIONAL

COMMUNITY?

YOU'RE GENERATING LESS THAN 1%

OF GREENHOUSE GASES AND HERE YOU

ARE ALONG WITH OTHER PARTS OF

SOUTH ASIA FEELING THE BRUNT OF

CLIMATE CHANGE IN A MUCH MORE

PERSONAL AND FROCHBD AND

TANGIBLE WAY.

>> I THINK PAKISTAN HAS BEEN

SAYING THIS FOR A NUMBER OF

YEARS AT THE INTERNATIONAL

NEGOTIATIONS.

THAT WE ARE A LOW EMITTER BUT

THE COUNTRY HAS TO PAY A

DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH PRICE.

EVEN BEFORE THIS EVENT HAPPENED

THE CALCULATIONS WERE THAT ABOUT

3.79 BILLION ANNUALLY WILL BE

THE COST THAT PAKISTAN WILL HAVE

TO PAY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE.

SO I THINK THE CALLS FOR CLIMATE

JUSTICE WILL BE TAKEN UP BY THIS

CONFERENCE THAT IS COMING UP AT

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, TO DISCUSS

THESE ISSUES AND I THINK -- AND

MAKE A PLEA FOR IT THAT THIS

CANNOT GO ON BECAUSE PAKISTAN IS

JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT CLIMATE

CHANGE CAN DO, THE UNCERTAINTIES

THAT ARE PACKED INTO CLIMATE

CHANGE.

BECAUSE THIS IS NOT AN EVENT

THAT ANYBODY EXPECTED TO HAPPEN.

SCIENTISTS HAD SAID THAT THESE

KIND OF EVENTS WILL HAPPEN 30

YEARS FROM NOW.

BUT EVERYTHING IS FAST-TRACKED.

YOU SAW HOW THE NORTHERN

HEMISPHERE ALSO WENT THROUGH A

HEAT WAVE.

THERE HAVE BEEN WILDFIRES.

THERE HAVE BEEN EPISODES OF

DROUGHT.

SO THERE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY TOO

MANY THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING

THAT ARE TAKING US TO THE EDGE

OF A PRECIPICE.

AND I THINK EVERYONE IN THE

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CALLS IT AND

RECOGNIZES CLIMATE CHANGE AS AN

EXISTEN SHAL THREAT.

BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'VE BEEN

ABLE TO FRAME THIS INTO A DEEPER

UNDERSTANDING OF THE

VULNERABILITY.

EVERYBODY USES THESE WORDS BUT

NOT QUITE RESPOND TO TAKE URGENT

ACTION THAT IS NEEDED.

>> WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING FROM

THIS CONFERENCE THAT COULD BE

DIFFERENT?

BECAUSE YOU ALSO SEE A LOT OF

WESTERN, OR WEALTHIER COUNTRIES

WHO ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW

TO MAKE THEMSELVES MORE

RESILIENT, HOW TO SPEND ON THEIR

OWN ADAPTATION.

AT THE SAME TIME YOU HAVE

COUNTRIES IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM THE

EFFECTS IN A MUCH MORE ACUTE

WAY.

>> I THINK WE NEED TO KIND OF

REVISIT THE CONCEPT OF

DEVELOPMENT.

IF WE SAY LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND,

THEN WE CAN'T HAVE SOME

COUNTRIES THAT ARE DEVELOPING IN

THE WAY IN WHICH THEY ARE

DEVELOPING AT THE COST OF OTHER

COUNTRIES.

SO IT MAKES ONE WONDER, YOU

KNOW, HOW MANY MORE

DEVASTATIONS, HOW MANY MORE

LIVES LOST BEFORE IT WILL BECOME

UNCONSCIONABLE FOR PEOPLE WHO

ARE FOLLOWING A DEVELOPMENT

TRAJECTORY THAT IS PUTTING THE

LIVES OF MILLIONS AT RISK IN

OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

AND PAKISTAN IS JUST ONE

COUNTRY.

I SKEEP REPEATING THAT.

THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER

COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY THE SMALL

ISLAND DEVELOPMENT STATES.

THEY WILL SUBMERGE COMPLETELY.

WHERE WILL THEY GO?

IT IS TAKING THE FUTURE OF

HUMANITY INTO ACCOUNT.

WE SHOULD PIVOT OUR DISCUSSIONS

AT THE UPCOMING COPP AROUND

HUMAN SECURITY.

THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.

I THINK SURVIVAL OF EVERYONE

WITH CERTAIN ASPECTS TO CERTAIN

BASIC NEEDS SHOULD BE THE

FUNDAMENTAL THING THAT NEEDS TO

BE ADDRESSED.

BUT AGAIN, I THINK THE

CONVERSATIONS WILL BE ABOUT LOSS

AND DAMAGE, THEY WILL BE ABOUT

THE -- AND I DO AGREE WITH YOU

THAT SINCE CLIMATE CHANGE IS

AFFECTING THE GLOBAL NORTH THEY

MAY HAVE LESS TO GIVE AND MORE

TO SPEND ON THEMSELVES BECAUSE

YOU KNOW, IT'S HUMAN NATURE TO

WANT TO PROTECT YOURSELF FIRST

BEFORE YOU CAN BE OF ANY AID OR

ASSISTANCE TO SOMEONE ELSE.

>> WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE

INTERDEPENDENCE AND

INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF THE SOUTH

ASIAN REGION ESPECIALLY WHEN IT

COMES TO THINGS LIKE FOOD, RIGHT

NOW WITH THESE FIELDS FLOODED

NEXT YEAR'S WHEAT CROP IS GONE,

NOT TO MENTION ALL THE CROPS

THAT ARE UNDERWATER TODAY.

ARE THERE ENOUGH GRAIN SUPPLIES

AND STORES FOR THE PEOPLE OF

PAKISTAN TO HAVE FOOD IN A FEW

MONTHS?

>> I'M AFRAID NOT.

WE'RE ALREADY FACING FOOD

SCARCITY ISSUES, AND THESE WILL

GET AMPLIFIED.

ALSO IN THE FUTURE BECAUSE OUR

POPULATION IS INCREASING AT AN

UNSUSTAINABLE RATE OF 2%.

SO SOUTH ASIA AS A WHOLE WILL BE

FACING PROBLEMS.

BECAUSE WE WILL IN THE NEXT TWO

DECADES PROBABLY HAVE -- IF THE

GLACIERS WE HAVE, IF THE SNOW ON

THE MOUNTAINS THAT PROVIDES THE

WATER IN OUR RIVER SYSTEMS,

BECAUSE THE HKH, YOU KNOW,

PROVIDES WATER TO ABOUT TEN

RIVER BASINS.

SO WHEN THIS WATER SHRINKS AT

SOURCE, EVERYBODY'S SHARE WILL

DECLINE.

AND THAT WILL BECOME A

FLASHPOINT FOR CONFLICT.

SO IT'S MUCH BETTER BEFORE WE

REACH THAT POINT TO LEARN HOW TO

DO MORE WITH LESS.

AND THERE'S ANOTHER THING

HAPPENING IN SOUTH ASIA, IS THE

MASS MONUMENT OF PEOPLE.

ABOUT 800 MILLION ARE LIVING IN

CLIMATE HOT SPOTS.

SO THAT'S THE NEXT DISASTER

WAITING TO HAPPEN.

>> AYESHA KHAN, EXECUTIVE OF

CIVIL SOCIETY FOR CLIMATE

CHANGE.

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.