Guterres at COP31: Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs

At the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded an end to fossil fuels, stating they must "go the way of the dinosaurs," while world leaders largely avoided the topic in their speeches. Guterres contrasted the massive profits of oil and gas companies with the smaller funds allocated to help vulnerable countries recover from climate-related losses and damages. He urged governments to tax these profits, saying "the polluters must pay." However, leaders like Turkey's Erdogan and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen did not mention fossil fuels, despite Erdogan's recent celebration of new oil discoveries. The summit has record attendance of 92,000 people, but leaders from major emitters like China, the US, India, Russia, and Japan are absent. A draft of the Cover Decision is expected next week, with negotiations facing opposition from Russia and developing countries on issues like fossil fuel transition and sectoral targets.