The Republic of the Maldives is the smallest country in Asia, both by landmass and population. It is also the country with the lowest elevation on Earth, rising to only 1.5 meters above sea level and under rising threat from climate change. In 2012 President Mohamed Nasheed called his country the third most at risk from flooding due to climate change, even stating that, “If carbon emissions continue at the rate they are climbing today, my country will be underwater in seven years.”