Cop31 leaders warn climate inaction means 'the world we know is over'

Leaders at the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey warned that failure to deliver an overwhelming response to the climate crisis means "the world we know is over," with the Marshall Islands president citing worsening floods and the UN chief calling for a windfall tax on oil and gas firms. Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said overshooting the 1.5C Paris target would destroy towns, schools and hospitals on Pacific islands, while Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley noted current policies lead to 2.8C warming. UN Secretary General António Guterres accused fossil fuel companies of distorting science and urged governments to tax their profits from the Iran war. The summit saw sparse attendance, with major leaders like Donald Trump and Xi Jinping absent, and almost every country lagging in emissions cuts. Small island nations face existential threats from rising seas, with the UN Environment Programme warning overshoot is now inevitable.