Guterres Warns Climate Crisis Is 'Outrunning Us' as COP31 Leaders' Summit Opens Without the US

delegates at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned world leaders on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, that the climate crisis is "outrunning us," opening the high-level leaders' summit at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, with a blunt call to phase out coal, oil and gas. The summit — the 31st UN climate conference — is unfolding without the United States, the world's largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases, which has stayed away for a second consecutive year.

The Short Answer

UN chief António Guterres told the COP31 leaders' summit in Antalya that global emissions must fall by about 6 percent a year, while current national plans deliver at best a third of that — and that fossil fuels must "go the way of the dinosaurs." The conference runs November 9–20, 2026, with nearly 200 countries negotiating a new climate deal, and the United States absent for a second year after President Donald Trump withdrew the country from climate cooperation.

A Summit in Its "Major Political Phase"

COP31 entered what organizers called its major political phase on Wednesday, when heads of state and government joined the negotiators who began technical talks on November 9. The UN expected more than 100 leaders from some 95 countries at the Antalya Expo Center on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, though several of the biggest powers sent deputies instead. Leader speeches continue into Thursday, November 12.

The presidency is split in an unusual arrangement: Türkiye hosts the summit and leads the voluntary Action Agenda under Environment Minister Murat Kurum, while Australia's climate minister, Chris Bowen, presides over the formal negotiations. Delegates are working on climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage, Article 6 carbon markets, the mitigation work programme and a just-transition mechanism — with the presidency's headline initiative a voluntary target to raise electricity's share of global final energy demand to 35 percent by 2035, from a little over 20 percent now.

The New Pitch: Climate Action as Economics

Leaders at the summit are trying a sales pitch tailored to the times: act on climate to bolster the economy and bring down the cost of living. "Three-quarters of humanity live in countries that import fossil fuels, hostage to price shocks they did not create and cannot control," Guterres told the leaders on Wednesday. Simon Stiell, head of the UN climate office, made the same point, and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry — who attended as an advocate — said he liked the reframing.

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose country hosted last year's conference, told the summit that climate change has slipped down the global agenda since then, as wars and trade disputes crowd it out. "Wars and trade disputes should not be allowed to distract the world from its struggle to combat global warming," leaders told the conference, according to Reuters. Guterres said the slow international response so far had placed the world "on a path to destruction." For more on the diplomacy shaping the summit's backdrop, see our coverage of Russia and Ukraine agreeing to a large prisoner swap as the Abu Dhabi peace talks ended.

The US Absence — and Who Is Filling the Gap

The United States has skipped the talks for the second year in a row after President Trump — who has called global warming a hoax — withdrew the U.S. from climate cooperation following his return to office in 2025. Kerry used the opening of the conference to argue that China is setting the pace on clean energy and that others, including the United States, must follow.

Others are moving anyway. Finland launched the first fossil-fuel transition roadmap of COP31 on Wednesday, November 11, following France, the Netherlands and Germany, which published their roadmaps earlier this year. Brazil, the previous host, published two voluntary roadmaps on November 3 — one on transitioning away from fossil fuels, the other on halting and reversing deforestation by 2030. You can follow the latest COP31 climate summit developments as negotiations continue.

What Is at Stake in Antalya

The talks matter because national climate plans still fall far short of what the science requires. A UN report last month found the world on course to break through the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit countries agreed to pursue under the Paris Agreement. The UN Environment Programme estimates developing countries will need $310 billion to $365 billion a year by 2035 for adaptation, against a $300 billion annual climate finance target by the same year.

The human cost is already visible. Nepal's devastating August 26 floods killed more than 1,400 people, with thousands reported missing, and reconstruction needs estimated at about $4.78 billion; the UN's Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage has provisionally allocated $20 million to Nepal. Adaptation — and who pays for it — is expected to be one of the key tests of the Antalya talks, after June talks in Bonn failed to settle how to measure progress. With nine days of negotiation left, the question is whether the leaders' summit produces momentum or just speeches.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is COP31?

COP31 is the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held November 9–20, 2026, at the Antalya Expo Center in Türkiye. Nearly 200 countries are negotiating a new climate deal covering finance, adaptation, carbon markets and the transition away from fossil fuels.

What did António Guterres say at COP31?

Opening the leaders' summit on November 11, the UN Secretary-General said the climate crisis is "outrunning us," warned the world is on "a path to destruction" without fast action, and said fossil fuels must "go the way of the dinosaurs." He said global emissions must fall about 6 percent a year, while current plans deliver at best a third of that.

Why is the United States not at COP31?

The United States has skipped the talks for a second consecutive year after President Donald Trump, who has called global warming a hoax, withdrew the U.S. from climate cooperation following his return to office in 2025.

What is Türkiye's electrification proposal?

As COP31 host, Türkiye is pushing countries to agree to raise electricity's share of global final energy demand to 35 percent by 2035, from a little over 20 percent now. Critics say it may do little to curb warming without a clearer plan to reduce fossil fuel use.

What are the main issues being negotiated?

Climate finance, emissions reductions, adaptation, loss and damage, Article 6 carbon markets, the mitigation work programme and the just-transition mechanism. Developing countries need an estimated $310 billion to $365 billion a year by 2035 for adaptation, according to UNEP.

When does COP31 end?

The conference runs through November 20, 2026. The leaders' summit took place November 11–12, and negotiators have nine days after that to reach agreement by consensus.

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