Speech of Dr. Troy Sternberg (Oxford University) at Royal Asiatic Society, London
15-12-2017, London
Dr. Troy Sternberg, a member of the Center for Climate and Security’s Advisory Board, and British Academy Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the School of Geography, University of Oxford mainly discussed the environmental and ecological impacts of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying that the landscape where the construction of the CPEC is proposed, will be one of the main challenges for the Chinese multi-billion dollar project as one has to deal with physical limitations. He further explained that the exploitation of water and other resources in the region, resulting in vulnerable ecological consequences and adverse contributions towards climate-change, cannot justify CPEC’s possible projected economic monetary benefits. He questioned Chinese and Pakistani understanding of the law of gravity as the CPEC is also meant to facilitate the transport of goods uphill conquering mountains of several thousand feet, stressing that transportation to Gwadar will be easy while transportation to Kashgar will certainly bring physical and practical challenges which neither the Chinese nor the Pakistanis seem to have considered.
Video of Dr. Troy Sternberg at Royal Asiatic Society, London
