The Pakistani Prime Minister said in a speech to the United Nations that climate disasters will not remain confined to his country, which was hit by floods weeks ago. While the Secretary-General of the United Nations indicated that he had never seen a "climate massacre" of this magnitude, blaming the rich countries.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif warned, in a speech to the United Nations on Friday, that climate disasters will not remain confined to his country, which was hit by floods weeks ago.
On September 10, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said when he visited flooded areas of southern Pakistan that he had never seen a "climate massacre" of this scale, blaming rich countries.
"What happened in Pakistan will not remain confined to Pakistan," Shahbaz Sharif said in his first speech to the General Assembly, saying that the world had "changed forever."
He added that Pakistan had never "witnessed such a devastating scene" as a result of the impact of climate change.
He pointed to the injustice related to the climate crisis, as his country was "vulnerable" to climate change, while responsible for less than 1% of carbon emissions at the global level.
He asked, "Why would my people pay the price for global warming without having done anything wrong? Nature has turned its wrath on Pakistan without considering our unequaled carbon footprint."
"It is therefore quite reasonable to expect some compensation for this loss and damage, not to mention a better rebuilding," he added, adding his voice to representatives of developing countries demanding financial compensation from rich polluters.
Pakistan was hit by unprecedented monsoon rains that inundated a third of the country, and about 1,600 people were killed, according to the latest government figures.
More than seven million people have been displaced, many of them living in makeshift tents without protection.
The Pakistani official warned the international community that this climatic "catastrophe" caused by the "terrible seasonal" rains is only a prelude to what awaits the rest of the world. "One thing is very clear: What happened in Pakistan will not remain confined to Pakistan," he said.
He added, "The definition of national security has changed today. If world leaders do not come together and act now...there will be no land to wage wars on."
"Nature will respond," warned the 71-year-old leader, who has been in power in Islamabad since last April.
Guterres said during a press conference held in the port of Karachi after inspecting the devastation in the water-swept areas in southern Pakistan: "I have seen many humanitarian disasters in the world, but I have never witnessed a climate massacre of this magnitude," adding: "I can not find words to describe what I witnessed." today".
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ASIA UPDATE