The world is upside down worries the UN chief The catastrophic floods in Derna, in Libya, represent a “sad snapshot” of a world “swept by the torrent of inequalities and injustices,” lamented the UN Secretary General on Tuesday, referring to the impact of a “collection” of “plagues.” ”, from climate change to years of conflict.
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“Just nine days ago we discovered an infernal vision, a terrible landscape, the result of a compilation of many of the problems facing the world,” Antonio Guterres described at the opening of the United Nations Annual General Assembly.
The thousands of people who lost their lives “were victims of various scourges. Victims of years of conflict. Victims of climate chaos. Victims of leaders who, there and elsewhere, have not been able to find the path to peace.”
They died “at the epicenter of this indifference: in 24 hours, the sky poured the equivalent of 100 times the volume of monthly precipitation; the dams failed after years of war and neglect; and everything that the population knew was erased from the map,” he denounced.
“At this very moment, the bodies of the victims appear on the beaches of the Mediterranean, while billionaires sunbathe on their superyachts. Derna is a sad snapshot of the state of our world, swept away by the torrent of inequalities and injustices, and paralyzed by the challenges that must be faced.
“The world is upside down,” the Secretary General continued to worry, before painting a gloomy picture of the international scene, of the geopolitical tensions that “get worse” with global warming, “the threat that most directly compromises our future.”
“Climate change is not just climate changes. Climate change is altering life itself on our planet,” insisted Antonio Guterres, who is organizing a summit on climate ambition on Wednesday. And in this matter, “the measures adopted are not at all up to the challenge.”
“Our humanitarian operations are forced to resort to massive cuts. But if we don’t give food to those who are hungry, we are fueling the conflict.”
