UN's Guterres implores world leaders not to 'drown' the world

After touring flood-ravaged Pakistan, UN secretary general sets sights on world carbon emitters and fossil fuel companies

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, second left, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, second right, meet children at a camp for people displaced by floods, in Usta Mohammad city, Balochistan province, on Saturday, September 10, 2022. AFP

Mr Guterres sits in a helicopter during his visit to flood-affected areas in Pakistan's Sindh province. AFP

A camp set up the UN refugee agency, in Sukkur, Pakistan, to house people displaced by the deadly floods. AP

Flood victims drink tea at the UNHCR camp in Sukkur. AP

People displaced by the floods carry grass for their cattle in Sehwan, Sindh province. AP

The UN chief has appealed to the world to assist cash-strapped Pakistan after the monsoon flooding killed more than 1,300 people and displaced millions more. AP

A home damaged by floodwaters in Sehwan, Sindh province. AP

Displaced people receive aid from the Pakistani army in Sehwan. AP

This aerial photograph shows a flooded area on the outskirts of Sukkur, Sindh province. AFP

Displaced people wait by a damaged road next to floodwaters in Kalam Valley, in northern Pakistan. AP

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on the G20, nations responsible for 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, to intensify their climate response amid “flat-lining” action.

Mr Guterres made an urgent appeal to world leaders to act now and "lower the temperature" so as not to "drown" the world.

Before the 77th UN General Assembly, he said the international community must do more to help countries that are hit hardest by the effects of climate change.

“If one third of G20 countries was under water today, as it could be tomorrow, perhaps they would find it easier to agree on drastic cuts to emissions," Mr Guterres said after his recent visit to flood-ravaged Pakistan.

Nearly a third of Pakistan is flooded — an area the size of the United Kingdom — following months of record monsoon rains, which have killed 1,300 people and wreaked havoc. AFP

Makeshift tents for people displaced due to the floods, which were caused by heavy monsoon rains in Sohbatpur, Balochistan, Pakistan. AFP

People have been left to wade through floodwaters in order to return home in Dadu District, Sindh Province. AFP

Women carry belongings salvaged from their flooded home in the Qambar Shahdadkot District of Sindh Province. AP

Pakistani railway workers repair the track in flooded areas in Sehwan, Sindh Province. EPA

Families gather outside their tents at a makeshift camp in Sukkur, Sindh Province. AFP

Men perform ablution with the flood water in Bajara village, at the banks of Manchar Lake, Sehwan. Reuters

Nur Mohammad has taken refuge at a school after the rains in Jacobabad, Sindh Province. AFP

A girl carries her sibling as she walks through floodwaters in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Reuters

A Pakistan soldier drops tents and food aid from a helicopter in Jaffarabad District, Balochistan Province. AFP

People wait for relief supplies being dropped by Pakistan army helicopters. AFP

Roads across the country have been damaged by floodwaters, including a vital route in Kalam Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. AP

A Pakistan Air Force doctor examines a patient displaced by the floods at a makeshift medical camp in Rajanpur District, Punjab Province. AFP

A family sit with their belongings as floodwaters rise in Sohbatpur, in Jaffarabad District. Reuters

Makeshift tents in Sohbatpur. AFP

People affected by floods move to higher ground on the outskirts of Quetta, Balochistan Province. EPA

Displaced people join a food queue at a tent city set up by the Government of Sindh, Hyderabad. EPA

Children attend classes in Sukkur. AP

He said he had "never seen climate carnage" on such a scale, blaming wealthier countries for the devastation.

"What is happening in Pakistan demonstrates the sheer inadequacy of the global response to the climate crisis, and the betrayal and injustice at the heart of it," Mr Guterres said.

Almost 1,400 people have died as a result of flooding in Pakistan, with water destroying crops, homes, businesses and much of the infrastructure.

“Unless action is taken now, unless funds are disbursed now, these tragedies will simply multiply, with devastating consequences for years to come including instability and mass migration around the world,” Mr Guterres said.

His comments were also directed at major fossil fuel companies, which he accused of "killing the planet to rake in the most".

“Whether it’s Pakistan, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, small islands, or least developed countries, the world’s most vulnerable – who did nothing to cause this crisis – are paying a horrific price for decades of intransigence by big emitters,” Mr Guterres said.

He also warned of a "real risk of food shortages next year" and the prospect of a “fertiliser market crunch".

The UN chief spoke with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday morning, to try to broker a deal to increase the amount of Russian food and fertiliser exported through the Black Sea.

"Obstacles must be removed to Russian food and fertiliser exports, that are not subject to sanctions," Mr Guterres said.

"We are looking not only at maintaining the grain deal, but expanding it.

"We had the opportunity to discuss the Black Sea Green Initiative and its extension and possible expansion … and the possibility of ammonia exports through the Russian Federation.”

He said the prospects of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine were "still far away".

"My speech to the General Assembly will address these issues with concrete recommendations and a call to action," Mr Guterres said.

"As fractures deepen and trust evaporates, we need to come together around solutions."