Cop31 opens amid chaos and passion as global heating is already costing Earth

A difficult start in Antalya

An estimated 100,000 people have arrived in Antalya for the UN climate conference. Attendees have faced lengthy queues, shuttle-bus breakdowns and confusion over official drop-off points in the Mediterranean heat.

The logistical problems have not displaced the conference’s central message. In his opening address, UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell called for faster action as climate impacts affect communities around the world.

Stiell urges a faster transition

He urged countries to move towards an electric economy rather than leave families, businesses and governments exposed to continued fossil-fuel costs. Stiell also linked rising heat to risks for pregnancy, newborns and maternal health, and pointed to the burning of coal, oil and gas and forest destruction as underlying causes.

Signs of cautious optimism

Despite the troubled arrival, a cautious optimism has been reported at Antalya’s Expo centre ahead of two weeks of negotiations. Brazil’s climate-friendly election results and the re-election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva were cited as contributing factors, along with Democrats securing control of Congress in the United States. The Trump administration is not at the conference.

A proposed goal to electrify energy systems to 35 per cent by 2035, from 23 per cent now, and greater attention to health and waste were also presented as signs of progress. One participant called for recognition of waste pickers’ work and contribution to waste management and decarbonisation, saying the response to their concerns had been strong so far.

Talks face difficult choices

Turkey and Australia are jointly hosting the conference, an unusual arrangement. Turkey is promoting voluntary targets in areas such as waste and electrification, while Australia is overseeing official UN negotiations that monitor progress on the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015.

Talks are expected to address how to limit overshooting the 1.5C warming threshold, as well as debated approaches including solar geo-engineering and carbon capture. Turkey’s Cop31 president also warned of geopolitical uncertainty, including the war against Iran, and said a strong outcome could help countries manage global risks.

The negotiations’ success will depend on whether countries can agree on an outcome document in two weeks and whether it leads to meaningful results. The closing challenge is whether farmers can withstand drought, families can recover from floods and countries can power development with clean energy rather than costly imported fossil fuels.