Grenadian politician and UNFCCC executive secretary since 2022
A record summer of heat, drought and wildfires has prompted an emergency Cobra meeting and voluntary retailer suspensions of disposable-barbecue sales. Green groups have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to call the crisis 'climate change' and stop new North Sea drilling; Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has questioned net zero and urged adaptation and celebration of warmer weather.
Climate patterns have intensified this year, driving heatwaves, droughts and floods across multiple regions. Governments are mobilising finance, strengthening resilience, and adjusting policies as temperatures and rainfall shift. Aid budgets face pressure while activists warn of rising humanitarian needs.
Copernicus confirms August 2026 tied for hottest month on record, with Western Europe enjoying its warmest summer. Global oceans reach new highs as El Niño intensifies. Scientists warn that emissions continue to drive extreme conditions and urge rapid action.
Global temperatures have surged to new highs, with August marking the hottest month on record and heatwaves driving wildfires in Europe and the US. Scientists warn that a strong El Niño, coupled with ongoing emissions, will push temperatures higher in coming months.
Pacific nations and allies press for urgent action on climate finance, ocean health, and keeping 1.5°C within reach ahead of COP31 in Turkey. Pre-COP meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu highlight vulnerability to sea-level rise and demand concrete, community-level finance and adaptation.
Turkey unveils a $500 billion energy plan ahead of COP31, aiming to electrify its economy by 2040 and cut coal reliance, while keeping security of supply. The plan foresees a quadrupling of wind/solar and a shift toward nuclear, with steep investment and questions about a timely coal exit.
Prime minister Andy Burnham has appointed Dame Madeleine Alessandri as a special representative on climate security and will announce the post at COP31 in Antalya today. The role will task Alessandri with advising the government on national security risks from the climate crisis; Burnham will also back a 35% electrification target for 2035 and mobilise private finance for clean energy.
COP31 in Antalya is accelerating a push for electrification to 35% of global energy demand by 2035, with debates over whether electrification alone lowers emissions and how AI and renewables factor in. A new El Niño is intensifying extreme weather, underscoring the urgency for action.
The COP31 climate summit is pressing toward a deal as negotiators face resistance from fossil-fuel interests. Turkey proposes electrification aims at expanding global energy use, while major producers and influential economies resist binding fossil-fuel limits. The talks are marked by a warning from Simon Stiell and a warning on the 1.5°C trajectory.