By Mohammed Sheikh Youssef

 

ANTALYA, TURKEY, 10 Nov. - (ANA) -  The Turkish city of Antalya is hosting the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), with 197 countries expected to negotiate ways to accelerate the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement and expand funding to address the consequences of climate change.

 

The conference will run from 9 to 20 November under the slogan "Together for a Cleaner Future", bringing together world leaders and government delegations to discuss the implementation of existing climate commitments and the development of new environmental policies.

 

Since 1995, annual UN climate conferences have helped shape the future of the planet through environmental legislation and commitments. They have produced significant decisions, including the agreement reached at the Paris conference to limit global warming. COP31 is expected to help steer international environmental policies in a new direction.

 

Antalya's selection as host was not accidental. Its location in the Mediterranean basin makes it particularly relevant to discussions about climate change, given the region's exposure to drought, wildfires and other climate-related risks.

 

Australia is leading the negotiations under an unusual arrangement that resolved a dispute over which country would host the conference during COP30, held in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belém in November 2025.

 

Around 100,000 people are expected to visit the UN-managed Blue Zone, alongside official country delegations, while the Green Zone, managed by the host country, is expected to receive 1.5 million visitors.

 

According to organisers, participants will include 91 heads of state, more than 300 ministers, as well as officials from the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme. More than 45,000 volunteer applications have been received from 154 countries, while around 2,000 non-governmental organisations have announced their participation.

 

Organisers have also approved 160 applications for exhibition pavilions and 90 for offices. The leaders' summit will take place on 11 or 12 November, unlike previous COP conferences, where world leaders generally attended only the opening sessions. The new arrangement is intended to involve them directly in technical negotiations.

 

The 12-day conference will focus on the "Zero Waste" and "Resilient Cities" initiatives, alongside discussions on binding carbon emissions commitments, the green transition in energy policies, climate financing and its distribution, and sustainable development models.

 

The agenda will prioritise implementing previous pledges before introducing new rules, particularly in food and agriculture, health, green manufacturing and clean energy.

 

COP30 concluded in Brazil with an agreement calling for a threefold increase in funding for developing countries to protect their populations from the worsening effects of the climate crisis and strengthen support for communities transitioning to clean energy.

 

COP31 is expected to advance previous commitments through three main priorities: implementing emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement; financing responses to climate change through the achievement of the collective quantified climate finance goal set for developing countries at COP29; and adaptation, by increasing the resilience of countries and communities most exposed to climate risks.

 

The conference will also promote the deployment of low-carbon and climate-resilient technologies, strengthen international cooperation and knowledge-sharing, and support policies that improve the ability of vulnerable communities, ecosystems and economies to withstand climate threats.

 

Another priority is accelerating climate solutions and investment through structured cooperation between governments and private-sector institutions, and supporting scalable climate solutions with tangible results.

 

 

 

 

Sustainable cooling, electricity supply and the production of clean, safe and accessible energy will feature prominently in discussions. The agenda includes transforming energy sector infrastructure and supporting access to biotechnology.

 

According to UN figures, approximately 730 million people worldwide lack access to electricity, while two billion still rely on polluting cooking methods, contributing to 3.7 million premature deaths annually.

 

COP31 aims to increase electricity's share of final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035.

 

Waste management is another major focus, with delegates expected to explore how climate action can unlock the potential of scalable circular economy solutions.

 

The waste sector is the third-largest source of human-caused methane emissions and has been responsible for 30 percent of global warming since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Global waste production is also expected to increase by 50 percent by 2050, according to the UN.

 

The Antalya conference aims to expand circular economy initiatives that prevent emissions at source, including measures to reduce food waste and incorporate methane emissions into countries' nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

 

Discussions will also address the development of cities capable of withstanding climate change. Cities account for approximately 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and face some of the most severe consequences of climate change. Meanwhile, 15 percent of major cities worldwide are exposed to the risk of severe flooding or drought.

 

COP31 aims to reduce energy intensity in the construction sector by 25 percent by 2035.

 

Green manufacturing will also feature prominently. Industry accounts for around 25 percent of global emissions, while sectors where emissions are difficult to reduce face complex decarbonisation pathways. Many developing countries also need support to establish the foundations of green industry from scratch.

 

 

 

COP31 has also dedicated space to young people, recognising that they are not merely the generation inheriting climate risks but also potential builders of solutions.

 

People aged between 10 and 24 account for 1.8 billion of the global population and will experience the consequences of climate change over a longer period. Despite this, their participation in decision-making remains limited.

 

The conference will seek to raise climate awareness and encourage knowledge-sharing between generations.

 

A further priority will be identifying ways to implement existing climate protection commitments and bridge the gap between priorities, investment and action. The UN has emphasised the need to accelerate the translation of climate pledges into tangible results.

 

Although many countries have established ambitious climate targets through their NDCs, adaptation action plans and long-term strategies, implementation continues to face obstacles. These include limited institutional capacity, fragmented investment opportunities and insufficient alignment between policy priorities and financing solutions.

 

The annual Conference of the Parties is the most important international forum for climate negotiations. It is held under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopted in 1992, and serves as the main platform for negotiations, international cooperation, assessing global progress and coordinating responses to climate change.

 

Among its key functions is reviewing national communications on greenhouse gas emissions and assessing the impact of measures adopted by individual countries.

 

The 1992 convention was the first comprehensive global agreement aimed at combating climate change. Subsequent conferences helped shape international climate policy, including the Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997 and entering into force in 2005, and the Paris Agreement of 2015.

 

Meanwhile, a US congressional delegation is heading to Turkey to attend COP31 following the Democratic Party's sweeping victory in the midterm elections.

 

The United States will not participate in the official negotiations after President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris climate agreement for a second time following his return to the White House. - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/11 November 2026 - - -