Mr. Michael Gaffey:

The Deputy is right. Apart from small island developing states, two countries that are vulnerable in that sense are Bangladesh and Myanmar, both of which have huge populations. A few years ago, when campaigners spoke of climate change leading to refugee crises, some in certain parts - one being the British media - pooh-poohed the idea and said it was impossible. In fact, it is a reality. Climate change is an existential threat, most obviously at this stage for small island developing states. Some are so small, as the waters rise and they retreat, that there is a threat to their countries. At the UN, there is an issue of global governance to be looked at as to what happens if a country disappears completely. What about its people and existence as a state? For the moment, we are operating against time and not, as a world, in full recognition of the gravity of the crisis ahead. We see it most clearly with small island developing states. Adaptation at the moment means how you adapt agriculture, livelihoods and, in extremis, move homes and villages inland. Depending on what happens in coming years, that will become much more extreme. Depending on what happens in other parts of the world, there will be huge implications in the context of refugees. With the level of humanitarian crisis we are looking at now, we and a lot of the UN agencies are aware of the potential for greater dislocation and disruption. The important thing is that at the COP there is at least a greater sense of urgency now than there was in the past. We need that sense of urgency.