World leaders and United Nations officials called for faster cuts to greenhouse gas emissions on Wednesday as the COP31 leaders’ summit opened in Antalya. The gathering followed Monday’s start of the wider climate conference, where negotiators face the challenge of turning national pledges into policies that cut emissions and protect communities from extreme weather.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged countries to move faster away from fossil fuels and called on wealthy nations to increase financial support for countries already coping with climate impacts. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that wars and trade disputes had pushed climate change down the international agenda. Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also called for greater cooperation amid overlapping global crises.
The latest UN Environment Programme assessment shows how far current policies fall short. It projects about 2.8°C of warming this century if those policies continue. Even if countries fully deliver their latest national pledges and sustain similar efforts, warming would still reach about 2.6°C, well above the Paris Agreement’s goal of pursuing a limit of 1.5°C.
The report estimates that global greenhouse gas emissions would need to fall 18% by 2030 and 45% by 2035, compared with 2025 levels, under a scenario that limits peak warming to around 1.7–1.8°C. Returning to 1.5°C by the end of the century under that scenario would also require removing increasing amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The World Meteorological Organization reported that global temperatures averaged about 1.47°C above preindustrial levels from January through September 2026, putting the year among the four warmest on record. The Paris goal concerns warming over a longer period. The agency also reported record global sea levels in satellite observations and said preliminary data pointed to another record for ocean heat.
In Antalya, the debate is turning to what governments can put into practice. UN climate chief Simon Stiell called for expanding renewable power, improving electricity grids and cutting methane emissions from oil and gas operations and waste. He also urged delegates to make it easier for vulnerable countries to access money already committed for adapting to climate change.
The leaders’ summit drew more than 70 leaders and senior officials, according to the Associated Press, though the top leaders of several major emitters, including the United States, China and India, did not attend. Türkiye is hosting the conference, and Australia is leading negotiations scheduled to run through November 20.
As negotiations continue, the test will be whether delegates can agree on practical steps that countries can carry out at home. For governments trying to cut emissions, that means decisions about how quickly they can expand cleaner power and reduce fossil fuel use. For communities already facing floods, heatwaves and rising seas, it means getting the funding to prepare before the next disaster strikes.