Asia, with more than half the world's population and economies that continue to grow, poses one of the biggest environmental challenges of the coming century. The United Nations predicts that by 2025 more than half the region's population will have moved to the already packed metropolises.
So Kim Hak Su has his work cut out for him.
Kim, recently appointed executive secretary of the Bangkok-based Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, is overseeing his organization's efforts to promote economic growth with social stability and environmental preservation.