The head of the UN called on Wednesday at COP31 in Turkey for the disappearance of fossil fuels, “like the dinosaurs”, and to denounce the lobbies protecting them, during a session of the climate summit devoted to heads of state and government, but where many of them were missing. “The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is beyond us,” acknowledged António Guterres, who spoke for the last time at a COP, before tackling the main cause of climate change.
“Like the dinosaurs, fossil fuels must disappear,” he urged. But “this will not happen alone”, in particular because of their lobby, whose “strategy is simple: twist the science, delay decisions, delay action, delay accountability”. The annual climate conference opened in Antalya with a surprising announcement from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: the discovery of new oil deposits, where the exit from fossil fuels is a crucial COP issue.
“Source of concern”
“The discovery of new fossil fuel resources is not a reason to rejoice, but rather a source of concern,” the President of the Marshall Islands, Hilda Heine, launched on Wednesday from the podium, without mentioning Turkey, during this segment of heads of state and governments which extends over two days. However, nearly 200 countries committed at the COP28 in Dubai in 2023 to begin their transition away from fossil fuels. But the subject has stagnated since then, with any mention of oil, coal or fossil gas encountering opposition from producing countries. Others see oil as an instrument of justice: the transition “must be fair and must allow countries like mine to develop,” said Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. A message relayed by the Saudi Minister of Energy, Abdulaziz bin Salman, whose country is still very largely dependent on black gold: “measures aimed at protecting the climate should not constitute obstacles for countries or hinder their economic development,” he said.
At a time when Brazil is putting forward a “road map” intended to encourage countries to move away from fossil fuels, the Turkish host is trying to push for a more consensual objective aimed at increasing the share of electricity in final energy demand to 35% by 2035. The President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen spoke in favor of this objective. “Electrification must be clearly associated with a transition away from fossil fuels, otherwise it serves as an excuse for the fossil fuel industry to continue operating as before,” criticized Chiara Martinelli, Europe director of the Climate Action Network.
Deep differences
In a context of chaos in the Middle East, Brazilian President Lula denounced the fact that climate change had “disappeared from the speeches and documents” of world leaders, in particular in favor of “weapons” and “customs taxes” in forums such as the G7 and the G20. Two weeks after his surprise re-election, and warmly welcomed at COP31, Lula also called on rich countries to “respect their financial commitments” to vulnerable countries.
An appeal also made by Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng, judging that “the fight against climate change is a cause common to all humanity”. Like the Palau archipelago, particularly threatened by rising waters, and whose president, Surangel Samuel Whipps, said on Wednesday: “we are at war against a crisis that we did not cause”. “There are deep differences” between countries on issues such as climate finance, moving away from fossil fuels, and helping vulnerable communities, said Alden Meyer of the E3G think tank.
The segment of COP31 devoted to leaders is marked by low participation, with just under 70 heads of state and government scheduled to speak over two days, essentially with a weak international scope. “Expectations are not necessarily high” at this COP31, European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra tried to justify in Brussels on Tuesday, in the absence of French, German and Italian leaders.
Also absent: President Donald Trump, who has not sent a delegation to the COP since his re-election, despite the fact that the United States, along with China, are the two largest emitters of planet-warming gases.
