The United Nations Secretary-General today warned of the “horrible price” that countries are paying for the world’s dependence on fossil fuels, citing Pakistan, now devastated by floods, as an example.
“Pakistan and other developing countries are paying a horrible price for the intransigence of the big emitters who continue to depend on fossil fuels,” António Guterres said in a tweet before visiting the flooded areas of southern Pakistan.
“From Islamabad, I make a global call: stop this madness. Invest now in renewable energy. Stop the war against nature,” he added.
Since June, some 1,400 people have died in Pakistan’s floods, which have increased in intensity due to global warming.
Torrential monsoon rains covered a third of the country, an area equivalent to the UK, destroying homes, businesses, roads, bridges and agricultural crops.
Guterres hopes his visit will encourage the international community to provide financial support to the country, which he estimates will need at least $10 billion to repair and rebuild damaged or destroyed infrastructure.
The monsoon, which generally lasts from June to September, is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing the water resources of the Indian subcontinent. But Pakistan has not seen such sustained fallout in at least three decades.
Source: Observadora
