UN chief hits fossil fuel industry at Cop31 as world leaders debate climate action

UPDATE - follow-up to Cop31 live: 'Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs' - UN chief hits out at industry lobbying: Outgoing UN chief António Guterres told delegates at the Cop31 summit in Antalya that fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs, warning that the industry maintains a powerful lobby blocking swift climate action.

World Leaders Speak

Leaders from several nations addressed the third day of the UN talks, though heads of many major polluting countries were absent. Uzbekistan leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev called planet protection a sacred shared responsibility, while Iraq president Nazar Mohammed Saeed Amedi warned that climate change threatens food security through the loss of arable land and water issues. Turkmenistan leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov spoke about modernising energy infrastructure, and Mauritania president Mohamed Cheikh El Ghazouani highlighted how drought and coastal erosion have hurt his country despite its low carbon footprint. Turkish climate minister and Cop31 president Murat Kurum stressed that climate action boosts energy security.

Science and Cooperation

World Meteorological Organization secretary-general Celeste Saulo noted that atmospheric carbon dioxide is fifty percent higher than in the preindustrial era, with the past twelve years marking the warmest on record. Australian climate minister Chris Bowen defended multilateral cooperation, pointing out that projected warming has dropped from nearly four degrees to closer to two point six degrees since the Paris agreement.

Context

Global climate summits bring together nations to negotiate emission cuts and financial support, though balancing national fossil fuel interests with international targets remains a major challenge. These ongoing UN talks highlight the gap between scientific warnings on rising temperatures and the actual policy steps taken by governments worldwide.