World Leaders Gather in Turkey as Cop31 Climate Summit Opens Amid Global Pressures

UPDATE - follow-up to Cop31 live: world leaders gather for crucial climate crisis talks: More than 90 heads of state and government, along with ministers and senior officials from close to 190 countries, have gathered in Antalya, Turkey, for the annual UN climate summit.

What Happened

The fortnight-long meeting opened with a plenary session featuring a short emotional film about nature, followed by remarks from veteran Brazilian diplomat André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, the president of last year's Cop30. The formal agenda is being presided over by Australia under a compromise agreement, with Turkey acting as the host nation.

Key Figures and Absences

Turkey's environment minister Murat Kurum, Australia's climate and environment minister Chris Bowen, and UN climate chief Simon Stiell are kicking off the conference. Several prominent leaders are absent, including China's president Xi Jinping, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, French president Emmanuel Macron, German leader Friedrich Merz, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, and US leader Donald Trump, whose administration has withdrawn from the Paris agreement. Attendees include Brazil's recently re-elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the UK's Andy Burnham, and British foreign minister Ed Miliband.

Core Issues

The summit focuses on the practical implementation of targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and assist nations impacted by climate change. Discussions address the challenges of record-breaking global temperatures that have surpassed the 1.5C threshold over the past two years, alongside uncertainties in climate finance, energy transitions toward electrification, and fairness for developing nations.

Context

Annual UN climate summits bring together nations under the framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to negotiate joint actions against global warming. These meetings serve as the primary international forum for addressing climate policy, carbon reduction targets, and financial assistance for vulnerable regions.