UN Secretary-General: “Entering a new era of climate extremes”
COP31 opens... Guterres: "Entering a new era of climate extremes"
Quick Look
In his COP31 opening statement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of the arrival of extreme climate events and called for serious responses, including reducing greenhouse gases and switching from fossil fuels.
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Why It Matters
The 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opened in Antalya, Turkye. It was held on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, but expectations are low due to political instability and the United States' absence.
Call for 'serious response' at opening of UNFCCC General Assembly
(Rome = Yonhap News) Correspondent Min Kyung-rak = United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the 9th (local time), "We have already entered a new era of climate extremes."
According to AFP and Reuters, Secretary-General Guterres said this in a statement released on the day the Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change began.
He pointed out, “The massive El Niño is colliding with an Earth that is already overheated due to human-induced climate change.”
At the same time, he advised that greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced more quickly and the transition away from fossil fuels should be accelerated. He emphasized that a 'serious response' is needed, including providing financial support and protective measures to countries vulnerable to the climate crisis.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change General Assembly, now in its 31st year, is an opportunity for countries around the world to discuss responses to the climate crisis. This meeting will be held in Antalya, on the southern coast of Turkiye, until the 20th.
This year's meeting is held on the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which promised to limit the increase in global temperature to below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, but expectations for a new agreement are not high.
In a situation where the energy crisis is growing due to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the Middle East crisis, even the ‘political will’ represented by multilateralism has weakened. The United States, which produces one-eighth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, will not send a government delegation again following the last general meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Agreement in January last year when he began his second term.
Climate change is leading to extreme heat waves, extreme cold, and floods every year, increasing the sense of crisis. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Earth's average annual temperature this year is expected to be among the top four on record.
WMO Director-General Celeste Saulo said, "This year's global climate and El Niño are on a different level," and warned, "The heat that El Niño emits from the ocean will fuel high temperatures and extreme weather through next year."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
During the COP31 General Assembly, discussions were held on climate crisis response and financial support for vulnerable countries.
Very likely · Within days
Open Questions
- Whether a specific agreement on financial support for vulnerable countries has been reached
- Measures to secure additional reduction momentum for other countries amid the U.S. non-participation
