Heads of state and government are taking centre stage at COP31 today, with dozens of leaders expected to address the United Nations climate conference in Antalya, Turkey, today and tomorrow. However, attention is focused largely on those who will not be attending.

Leaders arriving in Turkey will have to make their way to the conference centre, which has faced significant access problems since the talks began on Monday and is surrounded by roads where traffic is difficult, according to AFP journalists on the ground.

Among those expected to speak at the conference are Brazil’s recently re-elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

According to a preparatory United Nations document published in late October, 77 heads of state and government, or their representatives, are expected to take the floor during the two-day period. However, it is the absentees who are attracting the most attention from observers and non-governmental organisations ahead of this important gathering in the series of climate conferences.

“It is a shame that some of the major European leaders will not be present,” said Cosima Cassel, a diplomacy expert at the E3G think tank, referring to the expected absence of leaders from countries including Germany, France and Italy.

“I am afraid that Ursula von der Leyen (the President of the European Commission) will find herself alone in the spotlight,” added Chiara Martinelli, director of the Climate Action Network Europe, which brings together numerous environmental non-governmental organisations.

Events marking the anniversary of Armistice Day, commemorating the end of the First World War, and a summit of heads of state and government taking place in Ireland tomorrow, Thursday, which will also be attended by other European leaders, explain French President Emmanuel Macron’s absence, his government has said.

“It is not unusual for some leaders to attend and others not to,” European Commissioner for Climate Wopke Hoekstra said in Brussels on Tuesday, adding that “expectations are not necessarily high” for this COP31, as the energy crisis has pushed environmental challenges into the background.

In a sign of the contradictions surrounding the summit, Turkish President Erdoğan, who is hosting COP31, announced on Monday the discovery of two oil deposits, at a time when emissions from the burning of oil, natural gas and coal remain the main drivers of climate change.