The COP31 President Murat Kurum has said that restricting global warming is a “matter of survival”, claiming some countries are reducing their responsibilities in cutting emissions, reports Reuters.
Turkey’s Climate Minister made a speech to thousands of delegates who convened in Fiji this week for the final day of pre-COP, ahead of the main event in Antalya on the 9th-20th November.
He said: “Today is a time where everyone is running away from responsibility. We do not have a single minute, a single day to lose.”
Reflecting on his visit to Tuvalu earlier that week, Mr Kurum said that mothers and children were under threat from high tides. The Pacific nations used the event to share their climate priorities.
These include better access to funding for resilience projects, protection of oceans and holding warming beneath 1.5C. The UN Environment Programme say the temperature target is impossible in the near future but could be achieved over time with emission reductions.
However, Turkey’s Climate Minister says holding to the 1.5C limit is crucial.
He said: “This 1.5 degree goal…is a matter of survival. The survival of cultures, history, memories, your homeland, your homes.”
Mr Kurum vowed that the Pacific goals will be taken seriously at COP31 as representatives from about 30 countries signed a declaration to endorse the goals.
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