The COP31 climate summit is scheduled to open in Antalya, Türkiye, on November 9, bringing governments together for two weeks of negotiations on emissions, energy and funding for climate-vulnerable countries. The conference is due to run through November 20, according to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Türkiye is hosting the summit, while Australia is steering the negotiations under an arrangement agreed after both countries sought to host COP31. Türkiye’s presidency will also set a parallel action agenda for voluntary commitments by businesses, cities, investors and other groups.
Electrification and fossil fuels on the agenda
Türkiye is asking countries to support a “35-by-35” target: raising electricity’s share of global energy demand from about 20% to 35% by 2035. Climate Action Tracker has warned that current policies would reach only 28% by that year, and that electrification will not cut emissions as intended unless the electricity itself is generated cleanly.
The broader transition away from fossil fuels is expected to remain contentious, though it is not on the formal negotiating agenda. Countries agreed at COP28 to move away from fossil fuels, but progress has since stalled. Türkiye has argued that fossil fuels remain important for energy security and called for a transition that protects coal workers.
Climate finance is another major point of dispute. Developed countries agreed at COP29 to mobilise at least $300 billion a year for developing nations by 2035. Governments later backed a goal of tripling adaptation finance by 2035, but did not settle the baseline or how the funding would be provided. A UN Environment Programme assessment cited ahead of the summit said even tripling current international public adaptation finance would cover only 23% to 29% of developing countries’ needs.
The talks are also expected to address progress under the Paris Agreement and efforts to reduce methane emissions. Türkiye’s Environment Minister Murat Kurum said the 1.5-degree target remained a guide for the summit. Further details on COP31’s leadership and arrangements are available from the UNFCCC.
Clayton Ward