From the Guardian · · 3m
World we know is over without climate action, leaders warn at Cop31
Pacific Island leaders and the UN secretary general issue stark warnings at the climate summit in Turkey, as major fossil fuel producers celebrate new discoveries.
In brief
Pacific Island leaders and the UN secretary general issue stark warnings at the climate summit in Turkey, as major fossil fuel producers celebrate new discoveries. Leaders at Cop31 in Turkey warned that overshooting 1.5C means catastrophe for vulnerable nations, while major oil and gas producers announced new fossil…
Marshall Islands president warns of catastrophe
Hilda Heine told Cop31 leaders on Wednesday that overshooting 1.5C means waves eating shores and floods destroying towns, schools and hospitals across Pacific islands.
“The world we know is over”
Heine describes bleached coral in her home
She saw bright, lush coral beneath the water in July that had turned bleached white just months later, illustrating the speed of climate damage to her island.
Barbados PM: overshoot is a debt of heat
Mia Mottley said governments have not tried hard enough since Paris. Even if every pledge is delivered, the world heads for two point six degrees, she warned.
“Overshoot is not a new target. It is a debt, a debt of heat, borrowed against our children's future.”
UN chief calls for windfall tax on oil firms
António Guterres blamed fossil fuel companies for distorting science and delaying climate action. He called for governments to tax windfall profits and use them to help vulnerable countries.
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs”
Guterres: this is his last Cop speech
The UN secretary general, a vocal climate advocate, will stand down next month. His speech was one of the last he will deliver as secretary general before leaving office.
Turkey celebrates new oilfields at Cop31
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Cop31 a turning point in the climate crisis. Days earlier, he celebrated discovery of two new oilfields with estimated in-situ potential of one hundred thirty-five million barrels.
Heine warns against new fossil fuel projects
She said every new oil well drilled and every piece of coal extracted was a threat to her country's future. Discovery of new fossil fuel resources should be feared, not celebrated.
“The discovery of new fossil fuel resources is not something to celebrate but something to fear.”
Major leaders absent from Cop31 summit
While ninety-one national leaders attended, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were absent. Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz skipped the talks to attend an AI conference in Ireland instead.
Climate scientists report darkening mood
Bill Hare, chief executive of Climate Analytics, said scientists are panicking. The mood is gradually darkening among the science community, with people feeling things have gone backwards.
“I'm getting a feeling of panic from around here, from the science community”
Overshoot now inevitable, effects must be minimised
The UN Environment Programme found that overshooting one point five degrees is now inevitable. Its effects on icy regions will be so calamitous it should be kept as brief and low as possible.
The big picture
Leaders at Cop31 in Turkey warned that overshooting 1.5C means catastrophe for vulnerable nations, while major oil and gas producers announced new fossil fuel projects.
