The COP31 climate summit has started in Turkey today. World leaders at the meeting urged countries to act much faster to stop global warming, warning that the climate crisis is getting worse.
Even though the world is currently facing other major problems like wars, rising prices, and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, leaders emphasized that protecting the planet must remain a top priority.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell warned that current progress is far too slow, a concern underscored by a UN report showing that the world is on track to overshoot the critical 1.5°C warming threshold.
Driven by a powerful El Niño, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the hottest years on record, marked by severe heatwaves in Western Europe and a catastrophic glacier collapse in Nepal that killed over 1,450 people.