‘Climate crisis is outrunning us,’ UN chief Guterres says at COP31
Summary
At COP31 in Antalya, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged leaders to act quickly on climate change and phase out coal, oil and gas. He cited record emissions and heat, while Turkey promoted a voluntary plan to expand electrification; a UN report said the world is on course to exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C warming goal.Key Facts
- Guterres said greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2025 and heat records continue to be broken.
- He accused fossil fuel interests of slowing climate action and called for fossil fuels to be phased out.
- Turkey proposed a voluntary initiative to raise electricity’s share of global energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035.
- The European Union said electrification should rely on clean energy, a point that may drive debate over Turkey’s proposal.
- The United States did not attend the talks, marking its second consecutive year absent.
- A UN report released the previous month said the world was on course to exceed the 1.5°C warming limit countries aim to meet under the Paris Agreement.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he planned to address environmental damage caused by the United States and Israel during the war.
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