Antalya, Nov 11:
The high-level segment of the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) opened in Antalya, Türkiye, on Wednesday amid noticeable absences among leaders of the world’s most industrialised economies.
While heads of state including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are addressing the gathering, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is the sole G7 leader scheduled to speak. Leaders missing from the roster include French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The absence of top leaders has drawn concern from climate advocacy organisations over political commitment to global energy transitions. Neither the United States nor China is represented by its head of state, with the Trump administration having withdrawn from the Paris Agreement and Chinese President Xi Jinping delegating attendance to Vice-President Han Zheng.