World leaders take stage at COP31 but big names missing
COP31 has commenced in Antalya, Turkey, with a focus on climate action, though several G7 leaders are notably absent from the summit. The conference faces pressure to address urgent climate issues, including methane emissions and the global carbon budget.
Why it matters
The absence of major world leaders at a critical climate summit raises questions about the political commitment to international environmental agreements.
Antalya World leaders will take the stage at COP31 in Turkiye on Wednesday (November 11, 2026) but some prominent names are missing from this year’s annual UN climate summit even as global warming intensifies. COP31 opens as climate and geopolitical pressures mount storyline 1 As COP31 comes to Turkiye, satellites reveal a landfill methane problem storyline 1 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. COP31 hosts Australia and Türkiye face the fossil-fuel question storyline 1 Dozens of leaders will speak during the “high-level segment” taking place on Wednesday (November 11, 2026) and Thursday (November 12, 2026), including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian.
Also covering this story
5 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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