‘The world we know is over’ without urgent climate action, Marshall Islands president tells Cop31

At the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey, leaders emphasized the urgent need for action against climate change, warning that failure to respond adequately could lead to catastrophic consequences. Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands, highlighted the dire impacts of exceeding the 1.5C temperature target, while Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley criticized governments for insufficient emission reductions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an end to fossil fuel reliance and proposed taxing their profits to aid vulnerable nations. Despite the urgency, many leaders were absent, and discussions showed little progress on phasing out fossil fuels, raising concerns among scientists about the worsening climate crisis.