COP31 Highlights Growing Gap Between Promises And Action

The climate debate at COP 31 is getting louder, and the message from Antalya is becoming harder to ignore. From the UN chief taking aim at massive oil industry profits to Greta Thunberg warning that the climate crisis is already costing lives. While Thursday saw some strong words and powerful moments, the US administration may be missing from the summit, but American local leaders have shown up. Big profits for oil companies but rising costs for ordinary people. That's the contrast at the heart of a sharp warning from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. In an interview with AFP, Guterres called it morally unacceptable that nine major oil companies could make $95 billion in profits in just one quarter, and while people struggle with soaring energy bills. He urges governments to put public interests ahead of fossil fuel companies, but beyond the political speeches, the science is delivering another serious warning. Climate Action Tracker has said that the world is heading towards an irrecoverable overshoot of the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming target unless countries rapidly cut emissions and move away from fossil fuels. The good news still remains positive, though. We have not lost the battle. We will not be able to keep it at 1.5, but we still keep it below 1.5 in the end of the century. So this is not the moment to surrender. This is the moment to fight back. While the U.S. federal administration is staying away from the summit, American mayors, governors and former officials are making their presence felt. They say if Washington steps back on climate action, local governments will step up. Meanwhile, Brazilian President Lula da Silva received a warm welcome from cheering crowds. Environmental groups have praised his efforts to reduce Amazon deforestation and protect indigenous communities. And I want to see the presidents of the rich countries, I want to see Trump, I want to see Macron, I want to see Germany, I want to see Portugal, I want to see all those countries that used to impose their environmental rules on us, now, I want to see them do their part. Climate activist Greta Thunberg also returned to the UN Climate Summit warning that the crisis is already a matter of life and death. She accused world leaders of failing to match their promises with meaningful action. It is... more clear than ever in spaces like these that the situation could not be less under control. The planet is not dying, it is being killed and we know by who and it is being killed by the very same people often thought to come to our rescue. No one is coming to our rescue. When our human rights are being threatened by states and other institutions it becomes our duty, everyone's duty. Climate security has also entered the spotlight with Britain announcing a dedicated envoy to examine how climate change threatens national security. And it's not just the negotiations facing challenges. Transport delays have disrupted the summit with some delegates reportedly spending up to five hours stuck in buses affecting meetings and discussions.