UN Chief demands fossil fuel taxes at COP31 Summit in Antalya

UN Secretary-General António Guterres demanded a new global climate justice agreement at COP31 on Wednesday. He urged governments to tax fossil fuel firms to fund vulnerable nations.

World leaders packed the Antalya conference venue for the two-day summit. Organizers enforced tight security and road closures as delegates arrived before dawn.

Traditional Turkish dances and a theme song gave the opening ceremony a festive mood. However, Guterres quickly shifted the focus to the escalating climate emergency.

Guterres warned that current national plans push the planet toward 2.5°C of warming. He urged leaders to fight harder rather than surrender to rising temperatures.

The UN chief proposed a climate justice compact resting on four priorities. Countries must accelerate renewable transitions, protect vulnerable populations, deliver affordable finance, and strengthen global cooperation.

“We cannot demand that countries transform their economies while denying them the means to do so,” Guterres told delegates.

Guterres accused fossil fuel lobbyists of distorting science and delaying action. He contrasted $95 billion in quarterly oil profits against $600 million in international recovery funds.

“Polluters must pay,” Guterres declared, earning a loud ovation from the plenary hall. He urged governments to tax windfall fossil fuel profits immediately.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted that past negotiations failed to deliver real implementation. Brazilian President Lula da Silva warned that wars and tariffs now overshadow climate survival.

During Wednesday’s Zero Waste day, leaders targeted methane emissions. This potent gas traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over two decades.

Guterres asked the UN Environment Programme to set near-zero methane standards for oil and gas. Currently, satellites track leaks globally, yet companies ignore most UN alerts.

Meanwhile, young entrepreneurs demonstrated practical climate solutions. In Botswana, biologist Makwena Moesi uses half a million worms to convert 1,000 tonnes of food waste into affordable fertilizer.

Inside the negotiating rooms, delegates clashed over unresolved issues. Developing nations demanded predictable climate finance, faster disaster relief for crises like Nepal’s glacial collapse, and clearer emission timelines.