Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 2 hrs ago
UN chief warns climate action is falling behind at COP31
At the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the climate crisis is outrunning the global response.
He said rising emissions, temperatures and climate disasters show that governments need to act faster.
A UN report says the world is on course to exceed the 1.5°C warming limit countries agreed to pursue under the Paris Agreement.
Climate change is also harming health: a report cited at the summit found 710,000 heat-related deaths worldwide in 2023, with 71.5% attributed to climate change.
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are discussing a plan to increase electricity’s share of global energy use and renew efforts to shift away from fossil fuels.
Turkey has proposed raising electricity’s share to 35% by 2035, but the proposal does not require that new power come from clean sources.
Negotiators still need to agree on a final plan for the summit.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned world leaders at COP31 on Nov. 11 that the global response to climate change is falling behind.
He said rising emissions, temperatures and climate-driven disasters put the world on a path to destruction.
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are seeking an agreement on increasing electricity’s share of global energy use and reviving efforts to move away from fossil fuels.
The summit opened in Antalya, Turkey, on Nov. 9, amid warnings that the world is on course to exceed the 1.5°C warming limit.
At a COP31 health panel, UN climate chief Simon Stiell described the climate crisis as a global health crisis of pandemic proportions.
- Who
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned world leaders. Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are attending COP31.
- What
- Guterres said climate action is not keeping pace with the crisis and urged governments to fight harder.
- When
- Nov. 11, 2026. COP31 opened on Nov. 9.
- Where
- Antalya, Turkey.
- Why
- Rising emissions, global temperatures and climate-driven disasters are worsening the crisis while the international response remains slow.
Turkey
Critics of the electrification proposal
Electricity target
Turkey
Turkey is pushing for a goal to increase electricity’s share of global energy use.
Critics of the electrification proposal
Critics say the proposal may do little to curb warming.
Clean power conditions
Turkey
The proposal targets electricity reaching 35% of global energy consumption by 2035.
Critics of the electrification proposal
The proposal does not require new electricity to come from clean energy sources.
COP31 opened in Antalya, Turkey.
Simon Stiell described the climate crisis as a global health crisis during a panel on health and climate.
Former French prime minister Laurent Fabius said leaders’ speeches should give political impetus to negotiations.
Antonio Guterres warned world leaders that the climate crisis was outrunning the global response.
- COP31 location
- Antalya, Turkey
- COP31 opening date
- Nov. 9, 2026
- Negotiating countries
- Nearly 200
- Proposed electricity target
- 35% of global energy consumption by 2035
- Paris Agreement warming limit
- 1.5°C
3 sources
What people are saying
The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us. This is the path to mutually assured destruction
But science is not telling us to surrender. It is telling us to fight harder
Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs.
The climate crisis is today a global health crisis of pandemic proportions, from toxic pollution to extreme heat and climate disasters that hit health systems and infrastructure.