Cop31 host urges wealthy countries to spend ‘much more’ on climate than defence

‘The climate issue is the security issue,’ says Turkish minister at Pacific pre-Cop summit in Fiji

Wealthy countries should spend far more on dealing with the climate crisis than the 5% of GDP promised by Nato members for defence because “the climate issue is the security issue”, the host of the next UN summit has said.

But, in comments that are likely to prove contentious, the Cop31 president-designate, Murat Kurum, hedged on whether the world’s countries should try to repeat a previous agreement to “transition away from fossil fuels” – the primary cause of the climate crisis – when they meet in Turkey next month. Kurum, the Turkish climate change minister, told the Guardian the world was “already in a transition” and suggested fossil fuel use could be addressed indirectly through other steps.