ANTALYA, Türkiye (Reuters) – Wars and trade disputes should not be allowed to distract the world from its struggle to combat global warming, leaders told the COP31 climate conference on Wednesday, as negotiators prepared to hash out a new deal to try to limit climate change.
COP31 host Türkiye has been pushing countries to put a goal to expand electrification at the centre of a final deal, even as critics say it may do little to curb warming without a clearer plan to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Heads of state gave back-to-back speeches on Wednesday to lay out their positions.Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country hosted last year’s conference, told the summit that climate change had since slipped down the global agenda.
“We started talking more about weapons and tariffs than the survival of future generations,” he said. “The planet cannot be at the mercy of hegemonic struggles.
“Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan echoed the comment.”Wars, crises, migration, famine and poverty increase the need for international solidarity each day,” he said.
