ANTALYA, Türkiye – World leaders addressing the COP31 climate summit on Wednesday called for stronger international cooperation on climate change, urging faster delivery of existing pledges at a time when scientists warn that extreme weather is intensifying.
The leaders’ segment began on the third day of the conference. COP31 opened on 9 November and runs until 20 November.
Leaders warn against distraction
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose country hosted COP30 last year, said the momentum from that summit had faded and that climate change had dropped out of global leadership discussions, according to Reuters. He said the world was talking more about weapons and tariffs than about future generations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is hosting the talks, said wars, crises, migration, famine and poverty were increasing the need for international solidarity.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres told leaders that the climate crisis is “outrunning us”, pointing to rising emissions, higher temperatures and worsening climate-related disasters.
Investment and early warnings
At Monday’s opening session, COP31 President Murat Kurum, who is also Türkiye’s environment minister, said climate promises must be backed by capital that funds investment and delivers results. Australia’s Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who leads the negotiating process, called for more investment, faster electrification and stronger action on the oceans.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) used the opening day to release its State of the Climate Update 2026. It said 2026 will be one of the four warmest years on record, with sea level and ocean heat at record highs. It also said a very strong El Niño is forecast to continue into early 2027.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said the state of the climate gives new meaning to the phrase “off the charts”. She has urged governments to strengthen global observation systems and increase funding for early warnings, saying that warnings are only as good as the data behind them.
Negotiations and absences
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are trying to agree on a Turkish proposal to raise the share of electricity in global energy use and to revive stalled efforts to move away from fossil fuels, Reuters reported.
A UN report published last month found the world on course to exceed the 1.5°C warming limit agreed under the Paris Agreement.
The United States, which withdrew from international climate co-operation under President Donald Trump, is not taking part in the talks for a second consecutive year. Reuters reported that France, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada did not send their top leaders. Mohamed Adow, director of the think tank Power Shift Africa, said the world’s biggest economies should be leading the response rather than leaving it to others.
The summit continues until 20 November.
