Paris (France) (AFP) - The world will gather in Turkey, starting Monday, at the United Nations climate conference "COP31" to confront the increasing consequences of warming, but the task seems very daunting in light of the many divisions over issues of geopolitics, financing, and the future of fossil fuels.

Published on: 06/11/2026 - 15:17

More than 100,000 people are expected to participate in the two-week negotiations in the Mediterranean city of Antalya, while it seems unlikely to agree on tough measures on fossil fuels, the main cause of climate change.

Rich countries are reluctant to pledge more funds to help developing countries confront the repercussions of climate change, while the energy crisis and high costs of living due to the war in the Middle East cast a shadow over the conference.

The talks come after deadly floods in Nepal, severe heat waves in Europe, and massive forest fires in Indonesia.

The El Niño climate phenomenon is expected to reach its peak later this year, which will increase the severity of extreme weather phenomena, and may contribute to making 2026 or 2027 the hottest year ever.

The United Nations warned in September that global temperatures were set to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the more ambitious limit set by the Paris climate agreement.

Implementation of pledges

Türkiye holds the presidency of the COP31 conference, while Australia leads the negotiations under an unusual arrangement that ended a dispute over the host country for the conference.

Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen said, "The COP31 conference is being held at a difficult time for the world," adding that "reaching consensus among nearly 200 countries will not be easy, but cooperation remains necessary."

In turn, the conference president, Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum, said that the summit seeks to "transform the pledges made at previous climate conferences into tangible results."

Turkey is promoting an “action agenda” parallel to the official negotiations, led by an initiative on expanding the use of electricity, to raise its share of global energy demand from about 20 percent currently to 35 percent by 2035.

"This year's energy crisis pulled us out of the state of complacency we were living in," Corum said.

He added, "Expanding the use of electricity is the solution. It protects societies from the fluctuations of global markets and reduces emissions."

Türkiye and Australia also want to include the expansion of electricity use in the "final resolution", a consensually negotiated political statement that reflects the main outcomes of the summit.

The European Union called for expanding the use of electricity produced from “clean” sources, an expression that may spark a debate regarding the role of fossil fuels in the Turkish initiative.

"The Turkish COP31 presidency chose to formulate its pledge regarding expanding the use of electricity very carefully," said Cosima Castle, a climate diplomacy expert at the E3G Research Center.

She added that the pledge is "quite flexible, and I believe it will allow a large number of countries to join it," noting that the initiative talks about "diverse and sustainable energy sources."

Disagreement over financing

Countries pledged to transition away from fossil fuels in a historic agreement during the COP28 conference in 2023, but they faced difficulties in agreeing on how to translate this pledge into practical steps.

The COP30 conference ended with an agreement that did not include any explicit reference to fossil fuels, after oil-producing countries opposed the inclusion of this issue.

Instead, Brazil has prepared a voluntary “road map” with proposals to phase out fossil fuels, which each country can adapt to its circumstances.

Observers believe that Türkiye and Australia are keen to avoid a repeat of the dispute witnessed at last year's summit over fossil fuels.

But another dispute looms over the failure of rich countries to fulfill their financial pledges to help developing countries adapt to climate change and switch to cleaner energy sources.

The group of African negotiators is demanding that a pledge to triple funding for adaptation to climate change be included on the negotiating agenda, which is funding allocated to help countries confront the worsening repercussions of climate change.

The recent US elections gave an impetus to climate activists, after the Democrats took control of Congress, in a setback for President Trump, who describes global warming as a hoax.

A delegation from the US Congress will participate in the conference, but the Trump administration will not participate in the negotiations.

© 2026 AFP

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