COP31: Trump, Xi, Macron among big names missing as world leaders gather in Turkey
World leaders are taking the stage at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, but the absence of several prominent leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, has drawn attention. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is among those attending the two-week summit.
President of COP30 Andre Aranha Correa do Lago of Brazil attends the opening ceremony of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkey, November 9, 2026
New Delhi: World leaders are gathering in Antalya, Turkey, for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), but the absence of several prominent political figures has raised questions about the level of global political commitment to tackling climate change.
The two-week summit, which began on November 9 and will continue until November 20, comes at a time when countries are under growing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase climate financing and speed up the transition to cleaner energy.
The high-level segment of the conference will take place on November 11 and 12. Dozens of leaders are scheduled to address the gathering, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
However, several major economies will not have their top political leaders represented at the summit. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is the only leader from a G7 country scheduled to address the gathering.
Trump, Xi, Macron among prominent leaders missing
US President Donald Trump is not attending COP31. His administration has also stayed away from climate negotiations since his return to office in 2025. Trump had withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate agreement, further raising concerns about Washington’s role in global climate action.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is also absent. China, one of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, will instead be represented by Vice President Han Zheng.
Several European leaders are also skipping the summit. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are not attending. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are also absent from the latest list of attendees.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, however, is expected to attend.
The absence of several prominent European leaders has drawn criticism from climate campaigners. Cosima Cassel, a climate diplomacy expert at think-tank E3G, said Europe needed to demonstrate stronger leadership at the conference.
Wopke Hoekstra, the European Union’s climate commissioner, said such absences were not entirely unusual, as leaders could have practical reasons for missing international summits. However, he also cautioned that expectations from this year’s conference were not particularly high.
Lula’s presence offers some hope
Brazilian President Lula’s participation has been welcomed by climate campaigners. He has repeatedly pushed for action against deforestation and called for greater attention to the concerns of developing countries.
Turkey is promoting an initiative to increase the share of electricity in global energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035. The proposal focuses on electrifying transport, buildings and industries. However, the role of fossil fuels remains a major point of disagreement. Countries had agreed at COP28 in Dubai in 2023 to transition away from fossil fuels, but progress on implementing that commitment has been slow.
The European Union has also stressed that the proposed electrification push must be based on clean energy, potentially opening another debate over the use of coal, oil and natural gas.
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Akshit has been working at news9live for nearly 4 years now. Much of his work output has revolved around global politics and climate change, but he has written explainers, analysis and opinion pieces on a diverse range of topics. He has also been associated with a variety of different projects in his time at News9; be it covering events, flagship programs or marketing outreaches.
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