TEMPO.CO, New York - Bushfires in New South Wales, Australia, have continued to worsen. As firefightersstruggle to put out the fires, heated debates have also ensued over the cause of the fires.

Executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, says the fires prove the world is "already paying the price of carbon". The United Nations says the New South Wales bushfires are an example of "the doom and gloom" the world may be facing without vigorous action on climate change.

"The World Meteorological Organization has not established a direct link between these wildfires and climate change yet, but what is absolutely clear is that the science is telling us there are increasing heat waves in Asia, Europe and Australia," Figueres told CNN.

Figueres released her statement following accusations made against deputy Greens leader Adam Bandt that he was politicizing the bushfires when he claimed the government's climate policies would lead to more fires in the future. In the interview, Figueres criticized the Australian government’s policies on climate change.

The government has vowed to scrap the carbon-pricing scheme and instead pursue a plan that involves an AUS$3 billion emissions reduction fund.

"What the new government in Australia has not done is it has not stepped away from its international commitment on climate change, so what they're struggling with now is not what are they going to do but how are they going to get there," she said while adding that the new route the government is choosing may actually be "more expensive for them and for the (Australian) population."

Figueres said that the world has very little time to minimize the impact of climate change and that the world must reach zero net emissions by the second half of the century.

"We are already paying the price of carbon. We're paying the price with wildfires. We're paying the price with droughts," she said.

ABC | CNN | THE TELEGRAPH | REUTERS | SITA PLANASARI AQUADINI