Climate change

COP31 Opens in Turkey After Finance Agenda Clash

Will COP31 turn climate promises into measurable justice or impose costly net-zero policies that threaten affordable energy and growth?

4 hours ago·Updated 35 minutes ago

COP31 Opens in Turkey After Finance Agenda Clash

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Above: A man paddles near his home in the Sunset Beach community, in California, on Oct. 27. Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Facts

The U.N.'s COP31 climate talks opened Monday in Antalya, Turkey, following a delay caused by a dispute over adding finance items to the agenda, as world leaders, delegates and activists began negotiations on curbing climate change.
The Washington Post
Arab News
Over 90 heads of state and government and officials from close to 190 countries are expected to attend in Antalya, where the Turkish presidency's Action Agenda covers 10 themes, including clean energy transition and climate-resilient cities.
Anadolu Agency
The Guardian
Turkey's presidency is asking nations to back a target raising electricity's share of final energy consumption from about 21% to 35% by 2035, while the EU wants the goal tied to clean power rather than gas- or coal-fired generation.
Financial Times
Independent
The U.S., the second-largest global polluter after China, is skipping the talks for a second year, after President Donald Trump withdrew from climate negotiations. Trump's administration has backed policies maximizing oil, gas and coal output.
LBC
NPR
A U.N. report on Monday forecast that 2026 will be among the four warmest years on record, while Berkeley Earth said it is 95% confident the year will exceed the 2024 record. Copernicus confirmed October was the hottest on record.
BBC News
The Jerusalem Post
A coalition including South Pacific island nations is pushing for a clearer global roadmap away from fossil fuels, months after Australia dropped its bid to co-host a "Pacific COP" and agreed that Turkey would take the presidency.
Al Jazeera
Japan Times

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The Spin

Climate-concerned narrative

Climate summits matter only when promises become measurable delivery. COP31 should lock in transparent milestones for a fossil fuel transition, forest protection, adaptation and climate finance, while Turkey needs to prove credibility through consistent action at home. Climate justice demands practical results for vulnerable countries, communities and future generations.

António Guterres on X

Climate Home News

Climate-skeptic narrative

Natural swings like El Niño and megadroughts that raged centuries before smokestacks show the carbon panic rests on shaky ground. Swapping cheap, reliable baseload power for intermittent wind and solar has hollowed out Western industry and handed China the supply chain. Net zero is the costliest experiment ever forced on voters who never got a say.

Peter Clack on X