Barbados premier warns of global warming, urges action at COP31

A warning on the 1.5C target

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley warned on Wednesday that the world is falling short of its climate commitments at the COP31 UN climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, urging governments to step up action to limit global warming to 1.5C (2.7F).

Mottley said the world had failed to do enough to keep the 1.5C target within reach and that continued delays would leave future generations to face the consequences. “Let me be plain: overshoot is not a new target. It is a debt, a debt of heat borrowed against our children's future, and it must be repaid,” she said.

Climate disasters and Gaza

Mottley stressed that every fraction of a degree matters, warning that further delays would threaten coral reefs, food production, communities and livelihoods. She pointed to devastating floods in Nepal that killed more than 1,400 people in August, as well as climate-related disasters affecting Jamaica, California and Europe.

Addressing the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the Barbadian leader said floods and humanitarian crises had combined to create “a veritable hell on earth” for children, adding that “the climate does not negotiate with geopolitics.”

Finance and methane cuts

The Barbadian leader urged increased climate financing, debt relief for vulnerable countries and greater investment in clean energy. She also called on COP31 to secure measurable commitments to cut methane emissions.

Mottley said a reduction of nearly half in methane emissions by 2030 could prevent almost 0.3C of warming by the 2040s and save 250,000 lives annually.

A call before COP32

Urging a global movement of 1.5 billion voices to keep the 1.5C goal alive, Mottley encouraged citizens to hold governments and financial institutions accountable. “We need to do this before we meet at COP32 next year,” she said.

Mottley also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the people of Türkiye for their hospitality in hosting the summit.