Participants at the start of COP31 in Antalya called for faster and more concrete action against global warming. The 31st United Nations climate conference began on November 9 and will continue until November 20, with representatives of nearly 200 countries taking part in the negotiations.
The meeting is being held after a year of record temperatures, severe heatwaves and devastating natural disasters. The World Meteorological Organization said that 2026 is expected to be among the four warmest years ever recorded.
“Progress is not fast enough”
“The urgency of this moment must drive us forward,” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, quoted by Reuters. According to him, the progress achieved so far is “far from fast enough.”
Stiell described the climate crisis as a global health crisis on the scale of a pandemic. He pointed to limiting methane emissions and replacing fossil fuels with electricity generated from renewable sources as measures that could slow warming.
COP31 President and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum said it was “clearly beyond reasonable doubt” that the world would exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels. This threshold is at the heart of the goals agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“We will not look away and we will not lower our ambitions,” Kurum said, quoted by the Associated Press.
Focus on implementation and financing
The Turkish presidency is focusing on turning commitments already made into real action. Priorities include reducing methane emissions, building resilient cities and accelerating the transition to electricity and clean energy.
Turkey is proposing that the share of electricity in global energy consumption increase from around 21% to 35% by 2035. The idea is part of a broader plan to limit dependence on coal, oil and gas.
Developing countries are calling for clearer guarantees for financing climate change adaptation and recovery after disasters. They warn that countries that have contributed the least to global warming should not have to take on new debt to deal with its consequences.
The meeting of world leaders as part of COP31 is scheduled for November 11 and 12. National leaders are expected to present their positions and discuss accelerating the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The United States is not participating in the conference. Washington is once again absent from the climate talks after the U.S. administration withdrew from the international process.
Sources: apnews.com, investing.com