Antalya, Nov 9:
The 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) opened at the Antalya Expo Centre in Türkiye on Monday, drawing delegates from nearly 200 nations amid stark disagreements over climate finance, energy transition goals, and fossil fuel phase-outs.
The two-week summit, hosted by Türkiye with Australia presiding over negotiations, has been framed as an implementation conference to translate past commitments into measurable action. A key agenda item backed by the host nation aims to expand electricity’s share of global energy demand from 20 percent to 35 percent by 2035, though European Union negotiators have cautioned that electrification frameworks must avoid prolonging reliance on fossil fuels.
Financing remains the principal hurdle, with African and developing nations pushing to triple adaptation funds to build resilient infrastructure against extreme weather disasters. The formal proceedings are also marked by the official absence of the United States administration following President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, although a delegation of US congressional lawmakers is attending the negotiations.