ANTALYA: Japan and eight other countries were given a ‘Fossil of the Day’ satirical prize from an international environmental group on Tuesday after their leaders failed to attend the ongoing UN climate conference in Turkiye, Kyodo News reported.
The Climate Action Network awarded the prize to Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, the Netherlands and Canada, as well as Japan, describing their leaders’ absence as “a dismal signal” for international climate cooperation.
The recipients of the award were announced at the venue of the 31st UN climate conference, known as COP31, in Antalya, drawing loud boos from participants.
The nine countries “appear to have decided that COP31 is no longer important enough to warrant their presence,” the organisation said.
It also said that wealthy nations with a history of large greenhouse gas emissions bear responsibility to provide financial support to developing countries, citing Nepal’s need for assistance following major mudslides in August.
The organisation, which is made up of environmental groups from more than 130 countries, presents the award several times during each UN climate conference.
The August mudslides in Nepal are believed to have been triggered by glacier collapses linked to global warming.