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COP31 climate summit
International delegates and United Nations officials are convening to negotiate global climate action and address rising global temperatures.
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On November 9, representatives from nearly 200 countries gathered in Antalya, Turkey, for the opening of the COP31 United Nations climate summit. By 08:50 UTC, the World Meteorological Organization stated that the imbalance between incoming solar energy and outgoing energy has reached its highest level since monitoring began, with 2026 on track to be one of the four warmest years on record at 1.47 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. By 10:53 UTC, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned delegates that the planet has entered a new age of climate extremes and urged leaders to take immediate action.
By 11:24 UTC on November 9, developing countries pushed to include climate finance on the official summit agenda, highlighting divisions over how wealthy nations should support poorer ones. Turkey's COP31 presidency introduced an Action Agenda focused on increasing electricity's share of the global economy to 35 percent by 2035, a pledge climate advocates criticize for not mandating that the additional power come from low-carbon sources. The negotiations commenced amid energy market disruptions caused by a United States war with Iran and surging power demands from artificial intelligence.
How the story developed
The build-up to the summit began on June 13, when COP31 co-hosts Australia and Turkey proposed a global target to electrify 35 percent of final energy consumption by 2035. Announced at mid-year UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany, the initiative aimed to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels by deploying electric vehicles, heat pumps, and electric industrial processes. Climate campaigners welcomed the target but warned that electrification must reach 45 percent by 2035 to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
On October 5, Pacific Island leaders and Australian officials convened a Pre-COP31 summit across dual locations in Suva, Fiji, and Funafuti, Tuvalu. The delegations focused on securing binding commitments for climate finance and formalizing an ocean agenda that mandates marine conservation targets alongside greenhouse gas reductions. During the summit, human rights organizations demanded that industrialized nations phase out domestic fossil fuel extraction.
A turning point occurred on October 13, when the Turkish presidency formally removed a binding fossil fuel transition from the upcoming COP31 agenda, replacing it with the voluntary 35-by-35 electrification pledge. Climate advocates warned the pledge lacked a clean-energy mandate and could drive up coal and gas generation to meet new grid demand. Both hosts faced scrutiny over their domestic policies, as Turkey expanded its coal capacity and Australia approved new coal-mine extensions.
On November 6, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar revealed the National Energy Plan 2040, aiming to transition the country away from coal and reduce emissions by 40 percent by 2040. The plan set a goal of 36 percent domestic electrification by 2040, including increasing the number of electric vehicles on Turkish roads from 500,000 to 20 million. The Turkish COP31 presidency also announced priorities to cut the growth in waste generation and reduce energy intensity in buildings.
The COP31 summit officially opened in Antalya on November 8 under a power-sharing arrangement where Turkey hosts and manages voluntary initiatives while Australia leads the formal negotiations. Australian minister Chris Bowen took on the role of brokering the talks, and COP31 President and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum emphasized the need to shift from past pledges to concrete implementation. The European Union announced its intention to push for accelerated global climate action during the proceedings.
The November 8 opening unfolded without an official United States delegation, following President Donald Trump's formal withdrawal from the Paris Agreement earlier in the year. The conference, dubbed a Blue COP to spotlight the need for comprehensive ocean protections amid record-breaking marine heat, faced deep divisions over a $300 billion annual climate finance commitment for developing nations and clashes over the transition away from fossil fuels.
What to watch
- The COP31 conference is scheduled to run until November 20.
- Delegates must decide whether to include climate finance on the official agenda following a push by developing countries.
- Negotiators face demands from developing nations that wealthy countries meet their $300 billion annual funding commitments.
- Attending nations will be invited by the Turkish presidency to sign a voluntary pledge to achieve a 35 percent global electrification rate by 2035.
- An intensifying El Niño is expected to exacerbate water shortages and other crises into 2027.
Where things stand
Global Delegations Assemble for COP31 Climate Summit in Turkey
Key point: The COP31 climate summit opened in Turkey with a focus on global electrification, though negotiations face significant hurdles from geopolitical conflicts, surging AI power demands, and disputes over climate finance.
AIIllustration: The intensifying El Niño acts as a risk multiplier, supercharging extreme weather events such as prolonged droughts.From: UN Warns Planet Is Entering Age of Climate Extremes as WMO Tracks Accelerating Heat Ahead of COP31 Representatives from nearly 200 countries gathered in Antalya, Turkey, on Monday for the opening of the COP31 United Nations climate summit. The two-week conference commenced amid mounting geopolitical tensions and escalating energy demands that threaten global climate goals.
Turkey's COP31 presidency introduced an Action Agenda focused on increasing electricity's share of the global economy to 35 percent by 2035. However, the pledge has drawn criticism from climate advocates because it does not mandate that the additional power come from low-carbon sources. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to accelerate emissions cuts and deliver necessary funding to vulnerable nations.
The negotiations faced immediate hurdles as developing countries pushed to include climate finance on the official agenda, highlighting the ongoing divide over how wealthy nations should support poorer ones. The diplomatic landscape is further complicated by the United States shunning official climate cooperation for a second consecutive year, alongside energy market disruptions caused by the U.S. war with Iran and surging power demands from artificial intelligence.
The summit follows a year of severe weather extremes, including punishing European heatwaves and catastrophic floods in Nepal. A recent UN report warned that global temperatures remain on track to breach the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit established by the Paris Agreement, underscoring the urgency of translating previous climate pledges into concrete implementation.
WMO warns of accelerating global heat and climate extremes as COP31 opens
Key point: The World Meteorological Organization has warned that Earth is accumulating heat at an unprecedented rate, supercharging extreme weather events as global leaders gather for the COP31 climate summit.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that the Earth is accumulating heat at an accelerating rate, driving unprecedented climate and weather extremes. The stark assessment was highlighted on Monday to coincide with the opening of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey.
According to the WMO's State of the Global Climate update, the imbalance between incoming solar energy and outgoing energy has reached its highest level since monitoring began. The UN agency noted that 2026 is continuing a streak of exceptional global temperatures, melting ice, and rising sea levels, giving "new meaning to off the charts."
The report underscores a worsening trajectory for global heating, prompting the UN chief to declare that the world is entering a "new age of climate extremes." This escalating heat accumulation threatens to supercharge extreme weather events, including those driven by an intensifying El Niño, which is expected to exacerbate water shortages and other crises into next year.
These warnings set a sobering tone for the COP31 negotiations, where international delegates are gathering to address the steadily worsening climate situation. The summit will focus on implementing urgent targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions as countries face the mounting consequences of global warming.
COP31 Climate Summit Opens in Turkey Amid Geopolitical Tensions
Key point: Delegates from nearly 200 nations have gathered in Antalya for the COP31 climate summit, aiming to implement concrete energy transitions despite overshadowing geopolitical conflicts and the absence of an official U.S. delegation.
AIDelegates gather at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, as the UN warns of an accelerating age of climate extremes.From: UN Warns Planet Is Entering Age of Climate Extremes as WMO Tracks Accelerating Heat Ahead of COP31 The COP31 United Nations climate summit has officially opened in Antalya, Turkey, drawing delegates and leaders from nearly 200 nations to negotiate the next phase of global climate action. The critical conference commences amid significant geopolitical strain, with ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, international trade conflicts, and the recent United States presidential election heavily overshadowing the environmental agenda.
Under a unique power-sharing arrangement designed to resolve a previous hosting dispute, Turkey is hosting the event and managing voluntary action initiatives, while Australia leads the formal negotiations. COP31 President and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum has emphasized the need to shift from past pledges to concrete implementation. A centerpiece of this effort is the new "35-by-35" goal, which aims to increase electricity's share of global energy consumption from its current level of around 20 percent to 35 percent by 2035.
The summit faces immediate diplomatic hurdles, most notably the glaring absence of an official U.S. delegation following President Donald Trump's formal withdrawal from the Paris Agreement earlier this year. Beyond the U.S. absence, negotiators are grappling with deep divisions over climate finance for developing nations, who are demanding that wealthy countries meet their $300 billion annual funding commitments. Delegates are also clashing over the transition away from fossil fuels, especially after last year's COP30 omitted explicit mentions of fossil fuels from its final text due to pushback from oil-producing states.
These tense negotiations unfold against a backdrop of escalating climate emergencies, as global temperatures are projected to breach the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold. Driven by an exceptionally strong El Nino, 2026 is on track to potentially become the hottest year on record. While the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement successfully lowered long-term warming projections from catastrophic levels, current national commitments still place the world on a trajectory for a dangerous 2.6 degrees Celsius temperature rise by the end of the century.
COP31 climate summit opens in Antalya amid record global temperatures
Key point: Officials from around the world have gathered in Antalya, Turkey, for the UN COP31 climate summit to negotiate climate action as global temperatures hit record highs.
The United Nations COP31 climate summit has officially commenced in Antalya, Turkey, bringing together negotiators and leaders from nearly every nation to confront the escalating crisis of global warming. The annual climate negotiations open against a stark environmental backdrop, as global temperatures are currently on track to breach key warming thresholds established in previous agreements.
While the formal agenda in Antalya centers on the implementation of past climate commitments, the summit is already being overshadowed by broader global crises, including ongoing wars, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, and the incoming Trump administration in the United States. Despite these headwinds, the European Union has announced its intention to push for accelerated global climate action during the proceedings. Meanwhile, Australian minister Chris Bowen faces the complex diplomatic challenge of brokering key negotiations, a role complicated by his own country's status as a major exporter of coal and gas.
This year's conference has been distinctly dubbed a "Blue COP," carrying a specific mandate to spotlight the urgent need for comprehensive ocean protections amid record-breaking marine heat. This dedicated focus on oceans represents a strategic shift to address the compounding impacts of climate change on vulnerable marine ecosystems, which have historically absorbed the vast majority of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions.
COP31 arrives at a critical juncture for international climate policy, with delegates facing a combination of low political expectations and unprecedented high temperatures. The talks in Antalya will ultimately test the international community's resolve to maintain momentum and secure necessary funding for the global transition away from fossil fuels, even as shifting political landscapes and competing geopolitical priorities threaten to derail long-term environmental goals.