World leaders are gathering at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, but some major figures are missing. The two-week conference started earlier this week amid growing concerns about global warming, following extreme weather events like European heatwaves, Nepalese floods, and Indonesian wildfires.
Prominent leaders set to speak during the high-level segment on November 11 and 12 include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian. However, several big names are absent, particularly from G7 countries. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is the only G7 leader attending.
While European Union head Ursula von der Leyen will participate, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have opted out. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are also not present.
Climate experts expressed disappointment over the lack of attendance by major European leaders. “We need Europe to lead strongly at this COP,” said Cosima Cassel of E3G think-tank. EU climate official Wopke Hoekstra acknowledged that leader absences are “not unusual” but admitted expectations for the summit are low.
Macron’s absence is due to World War I Armistice Day and an EU summit in Ireland, while Trump is notably missing after pulling the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not attending but will be represented by Vice President Han Zheng.
The conference focuses on accelerating the transition to clean energy, with Turkey pushing for increased electrification across transport, buildings, and industry. However, debates may arise over fossil fuels’ role in these efforts. Despite progress in 2023 when nations agreed to phase out fossil fuels, advancing this goal at COPs remains challenging.
Lula’s attendance is a relief for climate campaigners, as he has pledged to reduce deforestation in Brazil. The summit’s success hinges on the involvement of major emitters like the U.S. and China, whose leaders are not present but represented by their teams.