NEW YORK / ConSynSer / – Nations must come together and drive real-world progress to protect more people and ensure they benefit from climate action, according to UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. He said no single COP is a silver bullet that can stop climate change overnight. But every recent COP has made essential progress, and COP31 in Antalya will too, he said. Türkiye will host the conference next week.
Stiell said nations face stiff geopolitical headwinds as they prepare for the talks. He said COP31 will convert pledges and targets into concrete results across both the negotiations and the Global Climate Action Agenda. The meeting will bring together businesses, cities, states, communities and civil society. Stiell said the aim is to turn words on paper into projects on the ground. COP31 runs from November 9 to 20 at the Antalya Expo Center.
Türkiye’s Environment Minister Murat Kurum will serve as COP31 President. Australia’s Chris Bowen will act as President of Negotiations under an arrangement between the two countries. A leaders’ summit is scheduled for November 11 and 12. Türkiye has said the final decision at the conference lies with the COP31 presidency. The conference follows COP30 in Brazil and earlier talks such as COP29 in Baku, where climate finance dominated the agenda.
Fossil-fuel cost crisis sets backdrop
Stiell said the meeting takes place against an ongoing fossil-fuel cost crisis that has sent energy and transport costs spiralling. The World Bank recently forecast energy prices to rise 32% in 2026. Worsening climate disasters are hurting every nation, wrecking lives and damaging human health, Stiell said. They are also pushing up food prices and hunger. He said the climate crisis and its causes are now on every kitchen table.
Stiell said the crisis is hitting every economy and population hard. He said COP31 can help bolster practical solutions to these pressures. Electrification and clean energy can cut household bills and lock in energy security, he said. Building resilience can shelter communities and economies from worsening climate disasters. Stiell said this is more vital than ever as a super El Niño turbocharges climate impacts. The World Bank also expects global oil supply to fall 5.2% this year.
Finance and super pollutants in focus
Stiell said climate finance must reach people faster and with less red tape. He also highlighted cutting super pollutants as a way to make a big difference. Methane is driving global heating at up to 80 times the rate of carbon dioxide, he said. Stiell said such cuts could make a big difference in slowing global heating. Methane’s warming effect is strongest in the first two decades after it is released.
Stiell said the essential business of the Paris Agreement keeps the wheels turning and goals in sight. That work includes national plans to deploy clean energy and increase resilience, along with progress reports. The 2015 Paris Agreement aims to hold warming well below 2C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C. COP31 is the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The two-week meeting will be the first COP held in Türkiye.