While speaking of observed changes in the climate, for instance changes in precipitation, Pachauri emphasised that Mumbai needs to revamp and reengineer its drainage infrastructure. “The city needs to be prepared since extreme precipitation events are on the rise, for instance the huge quantity of rains in a short period which Mumbai witnessed some time back,” said Pachauri.

He further said that the city’s public transport system must be effective and it should have the ability to evacuate people fast in the event of a disaster.

Highlighting the key vulnerabilities in Asia, Pachauri said that the report has identified areas like agriculture and food supply (decrease in crop yields up to 30 per cent in Central and South Asia by 2050); water management (decrease of freshwater availability affecting more than a billion people by 2050) and human health (sources of diseases will thrive in warmer climate and diseases will rise) among others.

“Low-lying areas like Mumbai will be vulnerable for over a few decades in the future,” he added.

And even as he severely criticised the country’s buildings—“the way they are designed is not in consonance with what is required in today’s climate change”—Pachauri said that the US will also have to “restructure” things in a significant way.

However, Pachauri said: “If we start today globally, we’ll be in a position to bring about tighter control and estimated mitigation cost is only three per cent of GDP in 2030.”