United Nations Secretary General António Guterres called on Turkey and Australia, the co-hosting nations of Cop31, to advance beyond preliminary discussions regarding the transition away from fossil fuels and begin executing concrete measures during the second day of the conference.
Guterres delivered his remarks as Brazil, which presided over the previous year’s climate summit, presented a roadmap for fossil fuel transition to conference delegates. The intervention was supported by prominent climate figures including former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other UN climate negotiators. Brazil had announced the roadmap development at the conclusion of last year’s summit and previewed its details in advance, emphasizing potential economic benefits and poverty reduction opportunities through fossil fuel phase-out.
The intervention underscores mounting pressure on the conference following years of criticism regarding limited progress at previous summits. Notable climate activist Greta Thunberg, attending her first Cop since 2021, characterized the summits as “greenwashed circuses.” The conference is occurring ahead of a two-day leaders’ summit where more than 90 world leaders, including officials from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil, were expected to participate in negotiations.
Beyond the fossil fuel transition discussion, over 700 civil society organizations from 88 countries pressed diplomats to prioritize a “just transition” framework addressing workforce and community impacts of clean energy shifts. These groups advocated for implementation of the Belém-Antalya Mechanism to support human rights, gender equality, and Indigenous rights during the economic transition, though representatives from developed nations were criticized for limiting its scope.
The conference attracted approximately 100,000 attendees, creating substantial logistical challenges with transportation services experiencing significant delays and congestion throughout the host cities.
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