94,000 gather at climate talks but key leaders skip and ambition stalls
Climate negotiators admitted this week the 1.5°C warming goal is gone; forecasts now point to 2.7°C.
Nearly 94,866 people gathered in Antalya for the UN's COP 31 climate talks, but the headlines tell a story of retreat. The US skipped the talks entirely after Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement a second time.
China sent a vice-president instead of its leader. India's PM, Canada's ministers, and most other world leaders stayed home.
For the first time, negotiators formally admitted the target to keep warming at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels is beyond reach. The new forecast shows warming of 2.7°C.
Australia and Turkiye, as conference co-hosts, proposed a "35 by 35" plan: electricity to make up around 35 per cent of energy use by 2035. But it carries no binding force and includes no rules on what kind of electricity.
Critics say it could lock in fossil fuels for decades longer.
- 94,866
- Total attendees at COP 31
- 34,000
- Official delegates
- 2.7 degrees Celsius
- Forecasted warming increase
- Antalya, Türkiye
- Location
Why it mattersThe world's strongest climate pledge is gone, and negotiators are settling for weaker targets as extreme weather intensifies globally.
AustraliaAustralia, already among the fossil-fuel-dependent nations, is co-hosting talks that dodge real climate action. Higher temperatures mean more bushfires, drought, and costly adaptation for Australian communities.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 19 h ago
