"An Era of Climate Extremes": Guterres Urges COP31 Leaders to Act Amid Concerns Reaching France

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued an urgent appeal to world leaders participating in the 31st session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), being held in Antalya, Turkey, demanding that they "rise to the challenge" and the scale of the stakes to confront accelerating climate change.

The conference, organized in cooperation with Australia, runs from Monday, November 9, to November 20, aiming to find emergency solutions to curb global warming at a time when climate impacts intersect with an unprecedented "El Niño" phenomenon.

A New Era of Climate Disasters

In an official statement, Guterres affirmed: "We have entered a new era of climate extremes; an out-of-the-ordinary El Niño is colliding with a planet already suffering from overheating as a result of human-induced climate change."

Emphasizing the required priorities, the UN Secretary-General added: "Leaders must rise to the challenge by reducing emissions at a faster pace, accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels, and providing the financing and protection needed by the most vulnerable countries and communities."

Heatwaves Take a Heavy Toll on France

The conference convenes amid profound global and European environmental concern following deadly floods in Nepal, the surpassing of the 1.5°C warming target threshold, and suffocating heatwaves that have swept across the European continent.

In France, these severe climate changes have directly and alarmingly affected public safety. Data indicates that nearly 8,000 excess deaths linked to severe heatwaves have been recorded since the end of May, including at least 817 deaths between July 27 and August 20, reflecting the imminent danger threatening daily life and vulnerable populations in the country.