UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday on world leaders participating in the UN Climate Change Conference "COP31" in the Turkish city of Antalya to take the issue of climate change seriously and accelerate the implementation of commitments related to emissions reduction and the transition away from fossil fuels.
Agence France-Presse quoted Guterres as saying in a statement: "We have entered a new era of extreme climate phenomena," urging leaders participating in the conference to show seriousness by accelerating emissions cuts, speeding up a just transition away from fossil fuels, and providing the necessary funding and protection for countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Implementation path and clean energy challenges
The "COP31" climate summit launched in the Turkish city of Antalya under the slogan "COP of Implementation," aiming to turn ambitious global commitments into concrete actions, following the difficulties countries faced in activating the historic "COP28" agreement in Dubai regarding the transition away from fossil fuels, and the conclusion of "COP30" without explicitly mentioning this fuel.
The summit also presents a work agenda to encourage countries to support non-binding commitments covering diverse issues, such as artificial intelligence and waste management, centered around an initiative to raise the share of electricity in meeting global energy demand from the current 20 percent to 35 percent by 2035. However, this initiative may spark disagreements, as the European Union demands that electricity be clean.
Adaptation financing and international positions
For his part, Jasper Inaventor, head of the "Greenpeace" delegation to the conference, said that developed countries are taking a hardline stance regarding the inclusion of a platform on the conference agenda, which was agreed upon during "COP30" in Brazil last year, aiming to discuss mechanisms for rich countries to provide funding to developing nations.
Under UN climate agreements, developed countries, which historically bear responsibility for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions, provide financial support to help developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change and transition toward cleaner energy sources, although the poorest countries believe these amounts are still insufficient.
African countries are seeking to include an item on the "COP31" agenda to discuss tripling funding for adaptation efforts, aiming to help the poorest countries cover the costs of climate measures, such as building sea barriers and planting drought-resistant crops.
Alarming climate reality
The latest reports from the World Meteorological Organization and the European Climate Monitoring Agency indicated that 2026 continued to record exceptional temperatures globally, accompanied by accelerated ice melt and rising sea levels, likely classifying it as the second hottest year in history.
The past twelve years have all been classified among the hottest years since records began, with scientists expecting the "El Nino" phenomenon to push temperatures toward new record levels, potentially making 2027 the hottest year ever.
These data coincide with UN warnings about the possibility of global warming exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels, thereby surpassing the limit targeted by the Paris Climate Agreement not to exceed.
For her part, Rachel Cletus, director of the climate program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, emphasized the necessity for world leaders to act to avoid worsening the climate crisis through serious commitment to a rapid transition away from fossil fuels and expanding the use of renewable energy, as an urgent step, especially with the worsening of the current energy cost crisis.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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