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On Nov. 12, the third day of COP31 featured discussions on moving away from fossil fuels, the environmental damage caused by war, heat in Europe and demand for climate financing, AnewZ reported. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also warned about the climate crisis.
Moving away from fossil fuels and the environmental consequences of war
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries at COP31, held in Antalya, Türkiye, to step up efforts to cut emissions and move away from fossil fuels. He also criticized the lobbying power of the fossil fuel industry.
“The arguments defending fossil fuels are collapsing,” Guterres said. Fossil fuels should go extinct like dinosaurs, he said, but that would not happen on its own: “Dinosaurs had no lobbyists. Fossil fuels do.”
Stressing the need for urgent action, Guterres said: “It is time to break the habit of addiction and end our dependence on fossil fuels.” He concluded his warning with the words: “This is the decisive moment.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian drew attention to the environmental impact of the war involving the United States and Israel. He said the damage could persist long after the fighting ends.
“The environment is the silent victim of wars. The destructive effects will remain even after the conflict ends,” Pezeshkian said. He added that the planet was not the heritage of one nation and that peace was a prerequisite for protecting the environment.
Leaders call for climate targets and action
Erdogan said excessive consumption and greed were intensifying what he called the “deepest existential crisis” in human history: the climate crisis. “As humanity, we have only one roof over our home — the sky — and only one garden — Earth,” the Turkish president said.
Erdogan also said countries were lagging in implementing decisions despite progress in UN climate negotiations.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said global attention was shifting from climate action to geopolitical tensions, weapons and trade disputes. “We have started talking more about weapons and tariffs than the survival of future generations,” he said.
Lula called for stronger international cooperation and national plans to move away from fossil fuels and end deforestation. “Brazil is back to defend the sustainability of a healthy planet,” he said in closing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called 2026 a “summer of truth.” She drew attention to extreme heat in Europe and rising energy prices following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Von der Leyen said the world could exceed the target of limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius, adding that every fraction of a degree mattered. “We must redouble our efforts, and Europe will do its part,” she said.
According to von der Leyen, the European Union is on track to meet its 2030 emissions-reduction target. However, the European Environment Agency’s latest report noted that projected cuts could fall slightly short of the required 55% level.
