A message from The King to the delegates at the World Leaders’ Summit in Antalya for COP31.

As you meet in Antalya for C.O.P.31, I particularly wanted to send my warmest good wishes and encouragement to all those taking part. I am most grateful to President Erdoğan, his Government and the people of Türkiye for bringing the international community together at this moment of such consequence, and to the Government of Australia for its role as President of Negotiations.

As we are all only too aware, across the world communities are already enduring severe heat, floods, droughts, wildfires and storms. Recent events have reminded us, sometimes in the most tragic manner, that climate change is not a distant threat, but a present and growing reality. At the same time, disruption to fossil fuel markets has demonstrated the urgent need for greater energy security and resilience, through renewables, as well as reduced dependence on chemical fertilizers in food production through regenerative agri- and agro-forestry systems.

For more than five decades, I have sought to draw attention to the interconnected threats of climate change and the destruction of Nature, and the impact on our livelihoods and communities. The need for action has never been clearer – nor more urgent. Every fraction of a degree matters, and I therefore welcome the Presidency’s determination to turn commitments already made into practical action. The urgent removal of unnecessary methane emissions and leakages from the oil and gas sector by 2030 is among the fastest available opportunities to slow near-term warming; an essential action alongside the transition away from fossil fuels.

Accelerating the transition to clean energy will be essential to our future prosperity and security. Now is the time for swift action to curb methane and other powerful pollutants, protect and restore the forests, oceans and other ecosystems on which all life depends, advance green electrification and help vulnerable communities withstand the changes already upon us.

None of this can be achieved without finance on the scale required. Governments, business, investors, institutions and philanthropy must work together to ensure that capital supports, rather than undermines, a resilient and sustainable future. Experience demonstrates that innovative models of finance, investment and insurance can make a real difference. Lasting change in how humanity lives in harmony with Nature relies on unlocking the creativity and power of the private sector to create truly sustainable markets through a vital public/private/civil society partnership.

There are, nevertheless, some reasons for hope. At London Climate Action Week this year, I was greatly encouraged by the many people already turning ambition into tangible change. The recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda also served as a powerful reminder both of the urgency of the climate challenge and of the strength that can be found in working together. I was heartened by Leaders’ renewed commitment to urgent and collective action on climate change, to protecting our precious natural world, and to building the resilience of those communities most vulnerable to its effects.

As the world gathers for C.O.P.31, I can only hope that this same spirit of partnership and common purpose can help inspire the collective action that our planet – and future generations – so urgently need. I therefore urge you, and all who join you in Antalya, to meet this moment not only with ambition, but with the determination to turn that ambition into action. This must be C.O.P.31’s legacy. Our children and grandchildren will not judge us by the promises we made, but by what we chose to do.

CHARLES R.