Former COP president urges delegates to put people and science first
At COP31’s opening ceremony in Antalya, former summit president André Corrêa do Lago urged delegates to put people and science at the heart of climate policy, and called for progress on emissions cuts and adaptation.
Review information is loading.
At the opening ceremony of COP31 in Antalya, former COP president André Corrêa do Lago urged delegates to keep the effects of climate policy on people in mind and follow the science. His remarks put human welfare and scientific evidence at the centre of the climate talks.
Do Lago, a Brazilian who chaired last year’s climate summit, said he hoped the conference would make progress through its “action agenda”: discussions organised by topic and intended to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and help societies withstand climate change.
Unlike formal negotiations, these discussions do not require every country to agree in full, he said, which could make them “wonderful and efficient”.
He also stressed the growing importance of adapting to climate change, particularly for the most vulnerable. Its effects, he said, are being felt much sooner than expected. Do Lago argued that emissions cuts should fall chiefly on the wealthiest.
Sign in to give this article a thumbs up or down.
About this discussion and AI questions
Private test discussion. Comments are readers’ views and are not yet automatically fact-checked. Editing is available for 60 seconds after posting.
Sign in with a confirmed reader account and choose a username to read comments and participate.
Sorting applies to top-level comments; replies remain oldest first. New comments and likes can change the order. Refresh for the current ranking.
Loading comments…