Greta Thunberg accuses world leaders of bowing to lobbyists at COP31
Climate activist Greta Thunberg criticised world leaders during the COP31 UN climate talks in Antalya, Turkey, arguing that negotiations are swayed by lobbyists.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has criticised world leaders attending the COP31 UN climate talks, arguing that the negotiations are being swayed by lobbyists. Her remarks put the question of corporate and industry influence at the centre of the conference, at a time when governments are being asked to set more ambitious targets for cutting emissions.
The talks are being held at a UN summit in Antalya, the Turkish resort city on the Mediterranean coast. The conference brings together governments and delegations to discuss how to tackle global warming. Thunberg's intervention added a sharp note of criticism to proceedings that are usually dominated by diplomatic language and negotiated commitments, and it came from an activist who has spent several years pressing leaders to move faster on climate action.
The central accusation in her comments is that lobbying shapes the outcome of the talks. Thunberg has long argued that the pace of action on climate change is held back by political compromise and by the interests of powerful industries. Her remarks in Antalya repeat that position on the summit's own stage, and they suggest that she sees the presence of lobbyists inside the negotiating process as a direct obstacle to the cuts that scientists say are needed.
The available account of the speech is brief, and it does not name the specific leaders or countries she had in mind. Nor does it identify the lobbyists or industries she was referring to. It is therefore not possible to say which delegations her criticism was aimed at, or how the governments concerned responded. The report also does not set out the full content of the speech, so the wider argument she made beyond the lobbying charge cannot be confirmed from the material available.
The COP31 talks continue in Antalya, and the question of how far lobbying affects their conclusions is likely to remain part of the debate around the summit. Negotiators are working towards agreements on emissions and climate finance, and the criticism raised by Thunberg is one of the points that observers will be watching as the conference moves towards its final decisions.
Source: mirror.co.uk
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