World leaders take stage at COP31 but big names missing
British PM Andy Burnham is the only G7 leader scheduled to address the summit, with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan skipping the event.
World leaders are set to convene at COP31 in Turkey, with the host country pushing for accelerated electrification of economies. However, notable figures such as British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi are absent from the summit.
Despite the intensifying climate crisis, fueled by heatwaves in Europe, deadly floods in Nepal, and major wildfires in Indonesia, European leaders are notably missing from the high-level segment. EU Climate Chief Ursula von der Leyen is among those attending, while Macron, Merz, Meloni, Carney, and Takaichi have chosen to skip the event.
Experts attribute the absences to practical reasons, but some argue that the presence of top leaders is crucial for influencing global energy transitions. While Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to speak, the United States and China, two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, will be represented by Vice President Han Zheng, signaling the importance of their participation.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- World leaders take stage at COP31 but big names missing thehindu.com
- World leaders take stage at COP31 but big names missing freemalaysiatoday.com
