World Leaders Urge Stronger Climate Action at Cop31 in Turkey as US Sends No Delegation
Photo: The GuardianWorld leaders called for urgent and faster action on global warming on Wednesday, the third day of the UN Cop31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, as formal talks began. Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine said failing to mount an overwhelming response to overshooting the 1.5C Paris target would mean "the world we know is over". Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley said the UN projects 2.6 degrees of warming even if every pledge is met and 2.8 degrees on current policies. Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country hosted last year's Cop30, said momentum had dropped, and that talk of weapons and tariffs had overtaken the survival of future generations. Leaders of Brazil and Turkey said wars and trade disputes should not distract from the climate fight. The article noted the US and Israeli war on Iran this year has disrupted West Asian crude shipments and raised fuel prices. The Trump administration sent no delegation; Trump withdrew the US from the UN climate convention by executive order in January. Former US secretary of state John Kerry called Trump the "biggest loser" for ceding clean energy to China. California governor Gavin Newsom is attending.
The Washington Examiner, the right-leaning outlet, leads with Newsom, a Democrat widely expected to seek the presidency in 2028. It covers his second straight rebuke of Trump over sending no delegation, quotes his statement that "Trump is temporary," and lists his wife and Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot among California's delegation. It also notes the January executive order and mentions Australia as a new climate partner. It gives little space to the other leaders' warnings. The Guardian and Guardian US, on the left, lead with the leaders' warnings from Heine and Mottley and with Kerry's attack on Trump, including Trump's remark that wind turbines are a "major loser". Both sides agree on the absence of a US delegation and on Trump being the main target of criticism. They differ in emphasis: the right frames it through Newsom's political positioning, the left through the global stakes and Kerry's China-competitiveness argument. The Hindu and AP stress the wars and the vulnerable countries.
How the sides differ Right sources focus on Newsom's attendance and criticism of Trump; left sources stress leaders' warnings and Kerry's attack on Trump; alternative sources highlight wars distracting from climate.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
- The New York TimesPaywallThe United States Is Skipping COP31 in Turkey
The Guardian leads with Heine's and Mottley's warnings on overshooting 1.5C, while the Guardian US features Kerry calling Trump a "loser" for scrapping climate action and ceding clean energy to China.
- APWorld leaders urge stronger and faster action at UN climate talks over inadequate response
- The Times of IndiaTurkey secures record $1.6 billion AIIB financing for climate reforms at COP31
The Hindu focuses on Lula's and Turkey's leaders' warnings that wars and tariffs distract from climate action, noting Iran war fuel effects. AP stresses urgent calls from vulnerable countries.
The Washington Examiner centers on California Governor Gavin Newsom attending Cop31 and criticizing Trump for sending no delegation, noting his likely 2028 presidential run and his delegation members.