The “devastating” floods that hit Pakistan this summer are just a prelude to the rest of the planet falling victim to climate change, the South Asian country’s prime minister warned Friday at the United Nations.
“Pakistan has never seen such an utter and devastating illustration of the impact of global warming (…) One thing is very clear: what happened in Pakistan will not be confined to Pakistan,” Shehbaz Sharif launched.
For Shehbaz Sharif, “the very definition of national security has changed today, and unless world leaders come together and act now on a minimal agenda, there will be no Earth left to wage war.”
“Nature will strike back and humanity is no match for that,” the Pakistani prime minister warned in a particularly dark speech.
More than 1,500 people, including at least 500 children, have died in these floods since June, according to government figures cited by the UN. These are caused by torrential monsoon rains, the intensity of which is being increased by global warming, according to experts and Pakistani officials. They covered a third of Pakistan, an area the size of the United Kingdom, destroying homes, businesses, roads, bridges and agricultural crops.
“Climate Carnage”
The secretary general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, Visiting Pakistan on September 10, he said he had “never seen” such a climate disaster, describing it as “carnage.”
“I have seen many humanitarian disasters around the world, but I have never seen climate carnage of this magnitude. I just don’t have words to describe what I saw today,” he told a news conference.
The country is particularly vulnerable to climate change. It is in eighth position among the countries most threatened by extreme weather events, according to a study by the NGO Germanwatch. Additionally, corruption and poorly established urban planning programs have led to the construction of thousands of buildings in flood-prone areas.
Source: BFM TV
