United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the nations participating in the COP31 climate conference, held in Turkey, to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and to secure the necessary funding for countries vulnerable to climate change. The first day of the meeting, taking place in Antalya, was marked by diplomatic tensions regarding the financing of adaptation measures, AFP reports. „Leaders at COP31 must rise to the occasion: they must cut emissions more rapidly, accelerate a fair transition away from fossil fuels, and provide vulnerable nations with the funding and protection they need,” stated Antonio Guterres. The UN Secretary-General’s appeal accompanied the latest report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)-a specialized UN agency-which indicates that 2026 is part of a prolonged series of climate records, spanning temperature highs, glacial melting, and rising sea levels. According to the WMO, an exceptionally intense El Niño event is expected to drive up temperatures and exacerbate extreme weather phenomena through 2027.
• Disputes over climate adaptation funding
The start of the two-week negotiation period proved difficult. Delegations had failed to reach an agreement on the agenda prior to the official opening. „COP31 has had a difficult start,” Jasper Inventor, head of the Greenpeace delegation, told AFP. According to him, European representatives are opposing the inclusion of provisions regarding finance on the agenda, as developed-nation governments are unwilling to accept new financial commitments. Conversely, African nations are calling for a tripling of funds earmarked for climate change adaptation-measures deemed essential to protect vulnerable states against droughts, floods, and rising sea levels. A representative of the European Union-the world’s largest contributor to climate finance-stated that there is „no political will” to undertake additional financial commitments. Against this backdrop,…
