US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the increase in natural disasters across the globe in recent years could be linked to climate change.

“I think that there is a linkage (between climate change and natural disasters). You can’t point to any particular disaster and say, it was caused by… But we are changing the climate of the world; we have seen that with the Russian forest fires, even the Russian Government that has been somewhat sceptical about climate change,” Clinton said.

Although there was no direct link between the Russian forest fire and the flood in Pakistan, Clinton said: “But when you have the changes in climate that affect weather that we are now seeing, I think the predictions of more natural disasters are unfortunately being played out.”

Clinton said the US was the most generous responder to natural disasters anywhere in the world the way that it responded to the tsunami in Southeast Asia; the earthquake in Haiti; and now the floods in Pakistan and the earthquake there a few years ago.

When asked about news reports of corruption inside Pakistan, she said: “I say save lives, save property, do what we can. Corruption, unfortunately, has been with us, is with us, and will always be with us, I guess everywhere human beings congregate. And it must be attacked; it must be rooted out.”

However, she said, she does not think it does a service to the people who are suffering to have some diversion there, a side conversation about corruption.