COP31 Leaders Summit Opens in Antalya on November 11: Guterres Says Climate Crisis Is Outrunning Us as Nearly 200 Countries Negotiate
ANTALYA, Turkey — The leaders segment of the COP31 climate conference opened on Wednesday, November 11. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told world leaders that the slow international response to climate change had placed the world on a path to destruction and that fast action is needed to avert it.
The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us, and this is the path to mutually assured destruction, Guterres said, pointing to rising emissions, global temperatures and worsening climate-driven disasters. His comments set the tone for two days of speeches by world leaders.
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are seeking agreement on a plan to increase the share of electricity in global energy use and revive stalled efforts to move away from fossil fuels. A proposal from Turkey is among the items under discussion.
The leaders of Brazil and Turkey said on Wednesday that wars and trade disputes should not be allowed to distract the world from combating global warming. Speakers scheduled for Wednesday also included Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine. The United States has skipped the talks for the second year in a row. COP31 opened on November 9 and runs to November 20, with the leaders segment on November 11 and 12. No final negotiated outcome has been announced.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯在气候大会会场。Xuthoria 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons / Photo: COP30 - António Guterres 01. By Xuthoria, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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