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The United Nations climate summit COP31 opened Monday in Türkiye's Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, with leaders urging faster action to deliver on climate commitments, accelerate the clean energy transition and channel financial support to vulnerable countries.
The 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), running from Nov. 9 to 20, brings together representatives from around the world for negotiations on emissions reductions, climate adaptation and financing.
Türkiye is hosting the summit under the presidency of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum, while Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen serves as president of negotiations.
Addressing the opening session, Kurum warned of interconnected global crises, including geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions and increasingly severe climate impacts.
"Climate policy today is also development policy. It is food policy. Energy policy. Urban policy. Health policy," he said, stressing the need for climate decisions to deliver tangible benefits to communities.
Kurum said Türkiye wanted COP31 to become an "Implementation COP," built around three principles: dialogue, consensus and action.
"This is Antalya's call: let dialogue grow as divisions deepen. Restore trust where it is under strain. Put resources to work as needs grow. Close the gap between our promises and people's lives," he said.
Highlighting Türkiye's position as a bridge between developed and developing countries, Kurum pledged to seek common ground while amplifying the voices of vulnerable nations, particularly Pacific island countries.
He also outlined the "35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge," which seeks to raise electricity's share of global final energy consumption to 35% by 2035 through renewable energy, stronger grids, storage, efficiency and clean transport.
On climate finance, Kurum underscored the importance of fulfilling existing commitments, citing the agreement reached in Baku to mobilize at least $300 billion annually for developing countries by 2035, alongside a broader target of scaling up financing to $1.3 trillion a year.
He also unveiled the "Climate Implementation Bridge," a mechanism intended to connect countries and projects seeking investment and technology with institutions and partners able to provide them.
"We want the legacy of Antalya to be a culture of working together, not a list of decisions," he said.
Bowen, Australia's climate minister and COP31 president of negotiations, praised Türkiye's preparations and called for cooperation and determination throughout the two-week summit.
"The latest science tells us that we will overshoot 1.5. But we can still return if we work together and act with urgency, solidarity and resolve," he said, referring to the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
Bowen noted that projected global warming had declined from nearly 4 degrees Celsius before the Paris Agreement to approximately 2.6 degrees Celsius, while renewable electricity generation had nearly doubled since 2015.
Global clean energy investment reached around $2.2 trillion last year, almost twice the amount invested in fossil fuels, he said.
Despite these gains, Bowen warned that progress remained inadequate, particularly in financing climate action in developing countries.
"The countries that need climate finance the most are getting it the least," Bowen said, urging faster, simpler and fairer access to funding.
He identified electrification, adaptation, access to finance and resilience as key priorities, noting that the summit's agenda includes more than 160 items and 60 substantive negotiating mandates.
Among them are efforts to operationalize the Just Transition Mechanism, strengthen the Mitigation Work Program, advance the Global Goal on Adaptation and address outstanding climate finance commitments.
Bowen also announced an agreement with Kurum to pursue a presidency-initiated, party-led decision focused on accelerating practical climate solutions without duplicating existing negotiations.
"It will not be a lengthy political declaration," he said, describing the proposed decision as a targeted response to challenges and opportunities facing international climate cooperation.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell called for COP31 to shift the focus from setting targets to delivering practical measures that accelerate global climate action.
"COP31 must supercharge solutions," Stiell said, urging concrete steps to expand renewable energy, improve access to climate finance and curb methane emissions.
He stressed the need to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, strengthen power grids and accelerate methane reductions, particularly in the oil, gas and waste sectors.
"Together, action on methane and electrification are a planetary icepack–able to cut half a degree from projected global heating," he said.
Stiell also urged progress toward tripling adaptation finance and fulfilling existing financial commitments without reopening previously negotiated agreements.
He warned that worsening climate impacts and volatile fossil fuel prices were placing growing pressure on households and economies worldwide.
According to Stiell, renewable energy generated approximately $500 billion in global savings last year and a further $265 billion in the first half of 2026.
He emphasized that fairness must remain central to the energy transition, particularly for countries and communities facing the greatest climate risks despite contributing the least to global emissions.
"No COP is a silver bullet. No single conference can bridge the chasm between the science and reality," Stiell said.
"Every recent COP has delivered strides forward. This one must too," he added.
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