By Janet Ekstract, ANTALYA- In his opening remarks on the first day of the World Leaders Summit on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated how crucial the COP31 UN Climate Summit is for partnership, exchanging ideas and cooperation among so many diverse nations. The Turkish president said: “We have a very meaningful goal, here,” adding “The most important thing is to act on this goal with good conscience and compassion.” Erdogan cautioned: “We have come to a crossroads with our environment,” while congratulating participants for this “great opportunity” to “make concrete decisions,” on climate action. He expressed his gratitude to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Australian President Anthony Albanese for their expertise and organization. President Erdogan also thanked Brazil and Azerbaijan for their participation as well. “Unfortunately, we have fallen short of the Paris Agreement,” Erdogan said and emphasized that everyone in the world has been affected by the negative impacts of climate change. He cited water shortages and chemicals affecting the soil and the environment as issues that must be tackled now, not later.
Meanwhile, in his opening statement, Australian President Anthony Albanese echoed Erdogan’s sentiments and said “This is a historic moment for my country, Australia is proud to be playing a role with Turkiye and proud to be a renewable energy leader.” Albanese added “We want to speak for the people of the world who need us to act,” citing the Pacific people of Tuvalu whose lives are threatened by rising sea water, he said. Albanese said: “In Tuvalu, I saw what can be achieved in engineering work,” citing a successful coastal adaptation project. He added: It’s “proof that by acting together, the world can make a practical difference.” Albanese further stated: “COP31 must be where we unlock concrete results, speeding up action for our oceans. We must ensure we are heading toward a future where our energy is clean.” The Australian leader said that COP31 “represents the opportunity for a more sustainable environment and a more sustainable economy as well.” Albanese cited Australia’s success in doubling its most widespread use of solar rooftops in the world while reiterating that world governments must step up with the “right incentives for investment,” especially for marginalized nations.
In addition, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gave passionate opening remarks by saying: “In defending our climate, we are defending democracy,” adding “This COP is significant and symbolic for the entire world, it brings us closer in proximity to diverse cultures and it is an opportunity to share our ideas and solutions with other countries.” The Brazilian leader underscored the need not to remain silent on the climate and said that wars and inflation have a direct impact on climate. Da Silva emphasized countries must have incentives to move toward their climate goals and said “We must convert to a multilateral approach where “All nations participate equally.” He added: “Instead of polarization, we need diplomacy. We need concrete roadmaps to reach our climate goals. We need to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. We must forge innovative climate solutions,” making sure there is a “mechanism for climate reform.” He also emphasized that there must be strategies to reduce the global temperature and that Brazil’s biodiversity is crucial for the entire world, especially protecting the Amazon. Da Silva stressed that because Brazil’s ecosystem is unique that it must be protected in its entirety including indigenous people, to preserve their way of life. He concluded by reminding countries that diplomacy is the key to solving climate issues and that Brazil has ongoing climate projects.
