World Leaders Convene for COP31 Climate Summit in Antalya
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a final climate warning at the COP31 summit in Turkey, which saw significant absences from G7 and EU leadership.
World leaders gathered in Antalya, Turkey, for the opening of the COP31 Leaders' Summit to address global climate challenges. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, issued a final climate warning ahead of his retirement next month, criticizing the fossil fuel industry and vowing to continue advocating for climate truth after leaving office.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also delivered opening addresses. During his speech, Erdogan characterized the conflict in Gaza as both a genocide and an ecocide, specifically citing environmental pollution and the destruction of olive trees caused by bombardment.
The summit was marked by the absence of several key global figures. United States President Donald Trump declined to attend, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was absent due to an International Criminal Court warrant. Most European leaders skipped the event to attend an EU presidency gathering in Dublin, leaving United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham as the sole G7 representative in attendance. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was among the heads of state received by Guterres and Erdogan at the opening ceremony.
