COP31 day two: fossil fuel emissions slip slightly as leaders head to Antalya

Day two of COP31 in Antalya opened with a small dose of relief: research published Tuesday morning shows carbon emissions from fossil fuels are falling slightly. It lands the morning after the summit unveiled evidence that the world is failing rather badly at curbing its growing fever. Organizers are clinging to the idea that things can still change.

Monday's opening pulled in roughly 100,000 delegates, and the crush for registration badges got so bad the UN asked anyone whose attendance wasn't compulsory to come back Tuesday and collect them. Tuesday's theme is energy and transport, tied to a core COP31 goal: getting countries to agree to a major increase in the share of energy delivered through electricity, hopefully clean.

Australia's climate minister and COP negotiations chief Chris Bowen, sensing a fractured and distracted geopolitical mood, urged countries to prove that multilateralism works and that they are equal to the challenge. Wednesday will lay the groundwork for the arrival of leaders from more than 90 countries, with the heads of the US and China among the notable absentees.

Getting to the venue was its own ordeal for some. Guardian reporter Graham Readfearn ditched the tram for the special COP31 buses and spent two and a half hours crawling through Antalya traffic, sustained by walnut and chocolate biscuits that Philippa Bayley of Groundwork swiped from her hotel buffet.