The United Nations' annual climate summit, COP31, opened Monday, Nov. 9, in Antalya, Turkey, with no official U.S. government delegation.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged leaders to "get serious by cutting emissions faster, accelerating a just transition from fossil fuels and delivering the finance and protection vulnerable countries need," AFP reported. "We have entered a new age of climate extremes," he said.
Turkey is presiding over the two-week summit, and Australia is leading the negotiations. The opening ceremony started an hour and a half late after overnight talks over whether climate finance would be on the agenda, AFP said. The Guardian reported that an agenda was agreed quickly, avoiding the long fights of past summits.
U.S. absent
For the second year in a row, the Trump administration sent no officials. "This summit rejects reality by failing to acknowledge that extremist climate policies are destroying countries around the world," a White House official told The Guardian.
About 20 members of Congress are attending without the usual State Department help, The Guardian reported. "I'm glad we found a way to get there, but it is insane," said Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill.
What's on the table
Turkey is asking countries to sign a voluntary pledge to raise electricity's share of global energy use from about 20% to 35% by 2035, AFP reported. The World Meteorological Organization warned Monday that the Earth is heating at an accelerating rate, according to The Guardian.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to speak later this week. The summit runs through Nov. 20.