‘Everything and everyone we love is at stake’: Thunberg slams COP31 talks
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived at the COP31 UN climate talks in Antalya, Turkey, and condemned the negotiations as hypocritical and filled with lobbyists from destructive industries.
Thunberg, who rose to prominence in 2018 with a solitary "School Strike for Climate" outside the Swedish parliament, has attended the Antalya summit for the first time since the 2021 talks in Glasgow, Scotland.
The talks are taking place in a year marked by deadly climate-related disasters, including heatwaves, floods, and an energy shock caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.
Host countries and fossil fuel reliance
COP31 co-hosts Turkiye and Australia are promoting renewable energy and rooftop solar installations, but both still rely heavily on fossil fuels, especially coal, to generate electricity.
Previous hosts, including Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, and Azerbaijan, are major oil producers, a fact Thunberg says allows them to whitewash their records.
Activists' reaction and future steps
Thunberg’s arrival has created excitement among youth climate activists at COP31, who are demanding more climate finance.
"I hope that Greta’s presence here reminds us of why we started this work in the first place: to push for meaningful change, hold decision-makers accountable, and work towards a better future for all of humanity."
Qiyun Woo, a youth environmentalist from Singapore, said Thunberg’s "powerful" presence adds to calls from a generation that inherits the consequences of these negotiations.
COP31 runs in Antalya until November 20, and the next edition, COP32, is scheduled for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in November 2027.
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