António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), urged the leaders of the states across the world to cooperate and unite to take urgent measures to confront the negative and destructive effects of climate change.
Guterres warned that forest fires and devastating floods lead to catastrophic consequences in the near future all over the world.
Over the last weeks, floods destroyed tens of thousands of houses in Sudan and forest fires engulfed vast areas in Brazil and in California, USA.
Guterres tweeted today that destructive forest fires, storms and floods continue to leave traces of death and devastation in various parts of the globe.
The UN Chief called heads of states to pay more attention to those facts, unite behind the science and take urgent climate action to cope with these challenges.
However, US President Donald J. Trump visited California on Monday to meet with Gov. Gavin Newsom and local officials for a private briefing on the devastating fire season.
Trump blamed the wildfires ravaging the West Coast not on climate change but on the failure by Western states to properly manage their forests, according to the New York Times.
When trees fall down after a short period of time, they become very dry really like a matchstick, the president told reporters after disembarking from Air Force One at Sacramento McClellan Airport, where the stench of smoke filled the air. He warned that dry wood can explode.
"When you have dried leaves on the ground, its just fuel for the fires," he said.
The president brushed off a question about climate change, suggesting that the query be put to Newsom instead.
Environmentalists, state officials and scientists said the scarred countryside and ashen clouds are the predictable consequence of climate change that has gone largely unchecked by Mr. Trump, who has instead rolled back environmental regulations.
Newsom offered thanks to the president for federal help and agreed with him that forest management needs to be better, but he noted that only 3 percent of land in California is under state control while 57 percent is federal forest land, meaning under the presidents management.
Newsom said climate change clearly was a factor. Somethings happening to the plumbing of the world, he said, and we come from a perspective humbly where we submit the science is in and observed evidence is self-evident that climate change is real and that is exacerbating this.
He went on to say that he think theres an area of at least commonality on vegetation, forest management.
He asked the reporters to respect the difference of opinion out here as it relates to this fundamental issue on the issue of climate change.
In the same context, Brazil is suffering heavily from the worst fires in 20 years in the Pantanal region, which is considered the largest wetland in the world.
The regional authorities in Mato Grosso announced a declaration of a "state of disaster", according to which the army, air force and necessary national organizations will intervene in this type of accident.
Argentinean newspaper "Bachina 12" indicated that dozens of volunteers and firefighters in Mato Grosso, with there are still risking their lives to save the escaping animals from the fires that crawl across the Pantanal.
In the ill-fated area, the fires have reduced vegetation cover by at least 15% this year alone, and the environmental damage caused by this type of fires has reached more than 25,000 hectares.
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