COP31 opens in Antalya with calls for climate pledges to be delivered

Turkey has opened the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, with Environment Minister Murat Kurum calling for countries to turn past promises into practical action and build trust through cooperation.

Kurum said countries needed to receive pledged climate finance on time and be able to rely on decisions being implemented. He took over the summit chair’s gavel from Brazil’s André Corrêa do Lago, who presided over last year’s meeting in Belém.

Turkey is promoting its Zero Waste campaign, which aims to reduce methane emissions from waste, and a plan to make electricity account for 35 per cent of global energy use by 2035. Kurum said the host country would seek support from other nations for the energy plan.

Australia is leading the negotiations, under an arrangement reached after both countries sought to host the summit. Australian negotiator Chris Bowen said COP31 should help produce solutions to keep the 1.5°C limit within reach. The Paris Agreement set that as a preferred ceiling for global warming, although the report notes that the goal has recently been deemed unattainable.

The summit’s opening statements set out ambitions for cooperation and delivery; the negotiations will determine what countries agree to do.