Must address climate change or the globe will suffer: Guterres

Karachi: All countries in the world would suffer destruction beyond measure if the world failed to address the challenge of global climate change, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned, in the backdrop of Pakistan floods.

"We see here in Pakistan the nature is striking back with devastating consequences," he observed, adding: "I have seen many disasters in the world, but I have never seen climate carnage on these scales."

Guterres conducted a two-day visit to Pakistan and later tweeted that he had never witnessed such climatic carnage as the floods in Pakistan, IANS reported citing Samaa TV.

Guterres said, "This is a global crisis. It demands a global response."

Dawn reported that monsoon showers and subsequent floods had taken 1,396 lives across Pakistan from June 14 to September 9. Nature's carnage had injured 12,728 and displaced more than 30 million people.

The worst affected province in Pakistan is Sindh, which accounted for most of the deaths (578) and injuries (8,321),

Express tribune reported that Guterres said on Saturday that United Nations would strongly advocate for 'debt swaps' with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. This would allow countries to use that money to invest in climate resilience, investments in sustainable infrastructure, and green transition of their economies, instead of paying back loans to foreign creditors.

At the Karachi airport, Guterres told reports, "We will go on strongly advocating for these solutions in the meetings with the IMF and World Bank that will take place soon as well as at the G-20 meeting."

He appealed to the international community to increase support for Pakistan.