COP31 host Turkey is championing an initiative to accelerate electrification, targeting a 35% share of global energy consumption by 2035. (EPA Images pic)ANTALYA: World leaders will take the stage at COP31 in Turkey on Wednesday but some prominent names are missing from this year's annual UN climate summit even as global warming intensifies.
The two-week conference kicked off earlier this week in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, with governments under pressure to tackle the climate crisis after a year of heatwaves in Europe, deadly floods in Nepal and major wildfires in Indonesia.
Dozens of leaders will speak during the "high-level segment" taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, including Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian.
