The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 31st annual conference, known as Cop31, convenes in the Turkish coastal city of Antalya through 20 November, bringing together an estimated 70,000 registered delegates. The summit occurs as the world continues to experience severe weather events including droughts, floods and wildfires attributed to human-caused climate change. Despite commitments made more than a decade ago at the Paris climate conference to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, a recent UN report warns that temperatures will reach at least 1.8 degrees under even optimistic projections, reflecting slow implementation of existing pledges.
The conference features an unusual administrative arrangement resulting from tensions between Turkey and Australia. Turkey serves as the official host and manages the action agenda involving voluntary initiatives, while Australia oversees the formal negotiation framework addressing just transition mechanisms and climate finance. The split arrangement has drawn criticism from climate advocates questioning Australia’s credibility given its status as a major fossil fuel producer, while Turkey’s coal-dependent economy similarly raises concerns about commitment to climate goals.
Formal negotiations will concentrate on ensuring workers in fossil fuel industries receive support during the transition to renewable energy, and on establishing mechanisms to provide financial assistance to developing nations most vulnerable to climate impacts despite bearing less responsibility for the crisis. Notably absent from the conference will be delegations from the Trump administration, as well as leaders from China and India, alongside some European officials, creating what observers characterize as reduced momentum compared to previous summits.
Questions persist regarding the fundamental effectiveness of the Cop negotiation structure itself, which relies on consensus-based decision-making and involves complex, extended processes. Supporters of the conference point to potential progress through informal discussions generating voluntary commitments and through informal negotiations known as cover decisions, despite structural limitations that have historically allowed oil-producing states to impede action.
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