COP31: slowed negotiations, geopolitical tensions, and Climate warnings
The COP31, held in Antalya, Turkey, has been marked from its early days by significant logistical difficulties, impacting climate negotiations. Transport delays forced the cancellation of some events and frustrated participants. Tasneem Essop, executive director of the Climate Action Network, emphasized that these problems affect not only civil society, but also delegates and negotiators.
The United Kingdom announced the appointment of a special envoy for climate security, a world first. Madeleine Alessandri, former chair of the British Joint Intelligence Committee, will hold this position alongside Climate Minister Katie White. According to Cosima Cassel, of the think tank E3G, this is a significant advancement.
The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, defended the country’s sovereign right to exploit its oil resources. This statement comes amid geopolitical tensions, following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro in January 2026 and efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to access Venezuelan oil reserves, estimated at 65 billion barrels.
Greta Thunberg called on Turkey to impose an energy embargo on Israel, arguing that it would end the transfer of oil and energy to Israel, which she accuses of genocide in Palestine. She referred to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, used to export Azerbaijani oil to Israel.
The Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa denounced the destruction of environmental and health infrastructure in the Palestinian territories. Greta Thunberg also criticized those actors she accuses of compromising the health of the planet.
A report from the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) revealed that current climate policies are insufficient and would lead to a warming of 2.7°C by 2100, far from the goal of the Paris Agreement. The CAT insists on the need to significantly accelerate the reduction of global emissions.
Source
“A la COP31, retards, émissaire pour la sécurité climatique, pétrole venezuélien et Greta”
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