UN General Assembly
2008

countries therefore have a high stake in the current financial turmoil. We must work together, and quickly, to arrest the downward spiralling effects before it is too late. Besides the perfect storm of this year’s world energy, food and financial crises, South-East Asia has witnessed a massive storm in the form of Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May. Nargis was the most devastating cyclone ever to hit Myanmar. Many lives were lost and many livelihoods were severely affected. But Nargis was not an isolated case. In the past few years, we have witnessed a changing climate pattern that has produced successive monster storms and severe weather in all corners of the world. Ice at the North and South Poles is melting at a frightening speed. Sea level is rising steadily and threatens to engulf low-lying areas around the world. Drought has increased, and many areas, once arable, have turned into desert. We can no longer turn our eyes away from the gathering threats posed by climate change. These threats recognize no political boundaries. Large and