( Spanish) – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the first head of state to speak at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, called for multilateral climate action, highlighting the effects of natural disasters such as floods and fires in his country.
“In southern Brazil, we had the worst flooding since 1941. The Amazon is experiencing the worst drought in 45 years. Forest fires have spread across the country and have already devoured 5 million hectares in August alone,” Lula said.
The president also addressed the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, criticizing the growing spending on military assets around the world.
“These resources could have been used to finance the fight against hunger and the climate crisis. What we are seeing is an increase in military capacity, the use of force not supported by international law becoming the norm,” he said, inviting anyone who wants to join the collective effort to fight food insecurity.
Regarding the conflict in the Middle East, Lula da Silva said that “what began as a terrorist action by fanatics against innocent Israeli civilians has become a punishment for the entire Palestinian people.”
Add Comment