World leaders at COP31 warn global conflicts must not overshadow climate action

Global conflicts and trade disputes should not distract nations from fighting global warming, leaders from Turkey and Brazil stated on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Turkey. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told the summit that momentum from the previous year's COP30 had dropped off as climate change disappeared from speeches. He noted that leaders began talking more about weapons and tariffs than the survival of future generations. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan echoed these remarks, pointing out that wars, crises, migration, famine, and poverty increase the need for international solidarity. The conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran this year disrupted West Asia crude oil shipments and drove up fuel prices globally, pushing climate action down the priority list for some governments. Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are meeting to seek an agreement on a proposal from Turkey to raise the share of electricity in global energy use and revive efforts to move away from fossil fuels. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned world leaders that the slow response to climate change has placed the planet on a path to destruction, pointing to rising emissions, higher temperatures, and worsening disasters. A UN report last month found the world on course to break the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit set under the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, 2026 has brought severe heatwaves in Western Europe and a glacier collapse in Nepal that caused a flood killing over 1,450 people, with thousands missing. Former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius noted that the conference is an opportunity for leaders to make announcements and explain how they will implement climate goals. Several prominent figures are scheduled to speak, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, and Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine. However, many nations lack high-level representation. The United States skipped the talks for the second year in a row after President Donald Trump withdrew the country from climate cooperation in 2025. Other G7 countries including France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada did not send their top leaders this year. Mohamed Adow, director of the think tank Power Shift Africa, criticized major economies for not leading the response.

Context

Climate summits like COP bring together nearly 200 nations annually to negotiate collective goals and measures to curb global greenhouse gas emissions and limit rising global temperatures. The absence of top leaders from major historical emitters like the United States and other G7 nations complicates international efforts to secure binding financial and policy commitments for clean energy transition.