World leaders gather at COP31 in Turkey as key figures skip summit

World leaders are gathering at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, but several prominent figures are absent from the UN climate summit, which opened this week amid intensifying global warming. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian are among dozens scheduled to speak, but UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is the only G7 leader attending. French, German, Italian, Canadian, and Japanese leaders are skipping, with some citing scheduling conflicts like Armistice Day. US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping are not attending, though Vice President Han Zheng represents Beijing. Observers expressed disappointment, with experts noting Europe's absence weakens influence, while Iran plans to raise environmental destruction in war. COP31 host Turkey is promoting an electrification initiative targeting 35% of global energy by 2035.