World leaders convene in Turkey for Cop31 climate summit amid record temperatures

ANTALYA —

Scores of world leaders and representatives from close to 190 countries gathered in Antalya, Turkey, on Monday for the high-stakes Cop31 UN climate summit. The summit opens as nations grapple with the strongest El Niño weather system on record, following a year of record-breaking temperatures that surpassed the 1.5C preindustrial limit established under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

The talks feature dual hosts, taking place in Turkey while formal negotiations are presided over by Australia. Discussions center on climate finance, emission cuts, loss and damage, and the existential threats facing low-lying island nations, amid deep friction between wealthy and developing countries.

Adão Soares Barbosa, chair of the Least Developed Countries, stated that keeping the 1.5C limit within reach, delivering climate finance, strengthening adaptation, and addressing loss and damage are matters of survival.

Australian climate minister Chris Bowen stated that Cop31 requires a tangible outcome centered on the implementation of emission cuts and financial commitments that the public can recognize as real. However, Australia faces domestic scrutiny as a leading global exporter of coal and liquefied natural gas. Climate advocates and more than 500 scientists in Australia stated that the country must stop approving new coalmines and gas projects to avoid charges of hypocrisy.

Official government targets commit Australia to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and generating over 80 percent of its electricity from solar and wind by 2030, though current projections indicate the nation is off track to meet those goals.

International divisions were further underscored by the absence of a United States delegation for the second consecutive year. A White House spokesperson stated that the Trump administration wants no part of extremist climate policies. In contrast, a group of 20 Democratic members of Congress traveled to Antalya, buoyed by their party’s success in US midterms, to participate in the summit discussions.

Regional vulnerabilities framed the urgency of the negotiations. Rukiya Khamis stated that populations across East Africa are facing the devastating impacts of a climate crisis they did not cause while necessary financial support remains out of reach. Simon Stiell stated that climate impacts hit populations and economies harder each year, noting that major and medium economies increasingly view climate action as a central driver of economic growth.

Recent extreme weather events have heightened global attention on the summit. This summer, more than 50,000 people died in Europe due to heatwaves, wildfire smoke shrouded North America, and a glacier collapse in Nepal triggered a landslide resulting in over 1,500 deaths.

Small island developing states, which currently receive only 0.2 percent of available global climate finance for adaptation, continue to press for urgent structural support. Meanwhile, negotiators will consider a proposed target for 35 percent of global final energy to come from electricity by 2035, a measure that faces significant opposition.

Britain’s representation at the summit emphasized domestic stakes, with Miatta Fahnbulleh stating that climate change is already present in Britain and that Cop31 directly concerns the nation’s interests.