Delegates convened in Antalya to break deadlocks over the global transition away from fossil fuels, spotlighted by recent disasters including a deadly glacier collapse in Nepal that killed over 1,450 people. Host nation Turkey proposed increasing electricity's share of global energy use to 35% by 2035, though critics argue the initiative lacks mandatory clean energy standards. The talks must navigate major geopolitical distractions and leadership voids, as multiple major economic powers declined to send their primary leaders to the summit.
Key points
Global climate efforts are failing to keep pace with warming as the world remains on trac…: Global climate efforts are failing to keep pace with warming as the world remains on track to surpass the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold.
Turkey's headline energy target faces scrutiny from critics because it fails to mandate t…: Turkey's headline energy target faces scrutiny from critics because it fails to mandate that new electricity be generated from clean sources.
Widespread leadership absences from major economies like Germany, Japan, and the United S…: Widespread leadership absences from major economies like Germany, Japan, and the United States threaten the summit's ability to drive concrete implementation.
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Governments must fight harder to preserve the planet for future generations, he said, in comments that set the tone for two days of rapid-fire speeches by world leaders at the UN conference on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
"The brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us. This is the path to mutually assured destruction," Guterres said, pointing to rising emissions, global temperatures and worsening climate-driven disasters.
"But science is not telling us to surrender. It is telling us to fight harder."
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are seeking agreement on a plan to increase the share of electricity in global energy use and revive stalled efforts to move away from fossil fuels.
The summit opened on Monday against the backdrop of wars, rampant inflation and other crises that are competing for political attention - but also amid increasingly alarming signals about the pace of global warming.
YEAR OF EXTREME WEATHER
A UN report last month found the world on course to break through the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warming limit that countries had agreed to pursue under…
Addressing international delegates in Antalya, the Turkish leader linked environmental destruction directly to armed conflict while demanding unhindered humanitarian access for displaced populations. He also called on wealthy, industrialized countries to fulfill lagging financial pledges to help vulnerable regions confront severe global warming. These remarks set an urgent tone as nearly 200 nations gather to negotiate clean energy targets amidst escalating geopolitical tensions.
Global emissions reached historic highs in 2025 as consecutive record-breaking temperatures push the planet past the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree warming threshold. The gathering in Antalya faces significant diplomatic hurdles, with most major industrialized powers failing to send top leadership despite worsening international weather catastrophes. Meanwhile, regional conflicts disrupting global petroleum supplies continue to underscore the broader economic risks tied directly to hydrocarbon dependence.
An exceptionally strong polar vortex trapped frigid air over Antarctica, driving the seasonal ozone depletion to its seventh-largest extent in 48 years of monitoring. Scientists from NASA and NOAA confirmed that unusual meteorological conditions, rather than a resurgence in banned pollutants, caused the temporary surge. Decades of global restrictions on harmful chemicals continue to mitigate the severity, leaving the stratospheric shield on track to recover later this century.