Climateupdated 27m ago2 min read
Greta Thunberg Tells COP31 Leaders The Planet Is Being Killed
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Greta Thunberg tells COP31 that the planet is being killed and warns of genocides. She criticizes leaders for hypocrisy and demands prioritizing people and the planet over profits.
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COP31, Thunberg’s warning
Greta Thunberg told reporters at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey that "The planet is not dying, it is being killed," and she said the crisis is being driven by "the very same people often thought to come to our rescue." The AP reported that Thunberg condemned the annual proceedings as hypocritical and said the negotiations are "filled with lobbyists, paid by the very destructive industries which are benefiting from our extremely violent status quo."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told leaders at the same talks that "Fossil fuel interests keep making a killing, while killing our planet," and he urged governments to tax the windfall profits of oil companies. Al Jazeera reported Thunberg accused those in power of driving the planet’s destruction and warned of a future marked by more genocides, ecocides and the loss of basic rights.
Small islands and security
Alix Sebastien Pillay, vice president of Seychelles, told the COP31 leaders’ summit in Antalya that "It is time to move past the talking," and he said the survival of his 115-island archipelago is at stake. Pillay said Seychelles is experiencing millions of dollars of damage despite contributing little to global warming, and he said a U.N. fund created for compensating vulnerable nations must be urgently strengthened.
Dalton Tagelagi, prime minister of Niue, warned that "Sea temperatures in the central Pacific are more than three degrees above normal," calling it "a warning of what is coming if we do not cut emissions now." The UK announced the appointment of a special representative for climate security, and the AP quoted Thunberg’s arrival as she urged leaders to put people and the planet ahead of profits and power.
Electricity, financing, and deadlines
The COP31 Leaders Summit in Antalya ran under the banner "Towards a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future," with the official program listing an opening session beginning on Wednesday at 12:15 Antalya time and the summit running through Thursday until 5:00 pm Antalya time.
The Turkish presidency’s transition paper placed expanding electricity use at the forefront, and it said electricity accounts for about 23% of global final energy consumption with an ambition to raise its share to 35% by 2035.
The same report said about 730 million people still lack access to electricity, and it framed the discussion as linking energy access with reducing emissions and requiring investments in grids, storage, and technologies that use electricity.
The AP reported that Thunberg said climate change is "threatening everything," warning that "everything and everyone we love is at stake," as the U.N. talks in Antalya run until Nov. 20.