Turkey’s COP31 Host Urges Tangible Climate Gains as Talks Begin
WHO:
The Guardian - Rukiya Khamis, 350.org’s east Africa programme manager, said communities facing droughts and floods are losing homes, livelihoods, and access to food and water, while climate-response funding remains out of reach.
The Guardian - UK Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said clean, homegrown power could address both high bills and climate change while creating jobs and warmer homes.
The Guardian - President Trump said at a rally in Georgia that oil and gas companies were “making a frickin’ fortune” and added, “I don’t give a damn.”
DW.com - Turkey’s COP31 President Murat Kurum said the Gulf war showed fossil fuels do not guarantee energy security, and that investment in alternative energy supports stability and resilience.
The Guardian - Chris Bowen, Australia’s climate and energy minister and president of COP31 negotiations, said the summit needs “a tangible outcome ... that people can see is real” and must make progress beyond previous COPs.
The Guardian - Adão Soares Barbosa, chair of the Least Developed Countries negotiating group of 44 nations, said keeping 1.5°C within reach, providing predictable climate finance, strengthening adaptation, and addressing loss and damage are “matters of survival.”
The Guardian - UN climate chief Simon Stiell said nearly every major economy and many smaller economies view climate action as a driver of growth, jobs, and affordable, secure energy.
The Guardian - Australia’s COP31 presidency wants to elevate Pacific nations’ climate concerns. Bowen said only 0.2% of available global climate finance goes to small island developing states for adaptation.
DW.com - Turkey is the official host, while Australia will lead formal negotiations. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey’s first lady, Emine Erdogan, appear in Turkey’s COP31 promotional video.
DW.com - David Victor, a climate expert at the University of California San Diego, said COP agreements require unanimity and argued that smaller government and company “clubs” can advance practical solutions.
DW.com - German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said Germany and the EU want new momentum for a global fossil-fuel phaseout.
Phys.org - The UN chief urged world leaders to “get serious” about addressing the climate crisis.
WHAT:
The Guardian - The article reports that temperatures surpassed 1.5°C above preindustrial levels this year.
The Guardian - More than 50,000 people died in European heatwaves during the summer; wildfire smoke affected large areas of North America, and a glacier collapse in Nepal triggered a landslide that killed more than 1,500 people.
DW.com - Turkey has approved more than 33 gigawatts of battery-storage projects since 2022, with capacity to power over 27 million homes.
DW.com - Wind and solar provide 22% of Turkey’s electricity, up from 4.5% a decade earlier. Turkey’s coal-fired generation increased by roughly one-third over the last decade and overtook Germany and Poland in 2024.
DW.com - Turkey imports 95% of its natural gas, 83% of its crude oil, and 60% of its coal.
DW.com - Turkey’s “35x35” pledge aims to raise electrification from just over 20% to 35% of global energy use. Climate Action Tracker estimates Turkey is on course for around 25% electrification by 2035.
DW.com - Solar rose from about 0.1% of Turkey’s installed electricity capacity in 2014 to almost 21% at the beginning of 2026. Turkey’s government targets adding 8 GW of solar and wind annually; Umit Sahin said adding 10 GW annually could enable a 35% emissions reduction by 2035.
DW.com - Beyond Fossil Fuels said about 97% of new coal projects in Turkey were cancelled over the last decade. Turkey announced plans in June to nearly double the capacity of one of its largest coal plants.
The Guardian - COP31 opened amid calls for visible climate progress, with climate finance, emissions cuts, adaptation, and loss and damage among the key issues.
The Guardian - More than 500 Australian scientists and climate advocates said Australia should stop approving coal mines and gas projects.
The Guardian - The United States is not sending a delegation for the second consecutive year. A White House spokesperson said the Trump administration rejects “extremist climate policies.”
The Guardian - Twenty Democratic members of Congress traveled to Antalya. The article says their party’s midterm success would enable them to obstruct Trump’s efforts to dismantle pollution rules and withhold clean-energy support.
The Guardian - A target for electricity to supply 35% of global final energy by 2035 is under consideration.
DW.com - UN projections say implementing current climate commitments fully would limit warming to as much as 2.6°C; Victor said projections before the 2015 Paris Agreement were 3–3.5°C.
DW.com - The International Energy Agency estimated that faster electrification could reduce fuel-importing countries’ energy bills by more than $400 billion (€357 billion) by 2035 compared with 2025 levels.
DW.com - Industrialized nations agreed to provide at least $300 billion annually in climate finance by 2035. Germany paid €4.7 billion from its 2025 budget, down from €6.1 billion in 2024.
Phys.org - The talks began with an early dispute over climate finance after a year of severe weather extremes.
WHERE:
The Guardian - COP31 is being held in Antalya, Turkey; Australia presides over the formal negotiations.
DW.com - The first International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels took place in Santa Marta, Colombia, with representatives from 57 countries invited by Colombia and the Netherlands.
WHEN:
DW.com - The summit is scheduled to run from “November 9-20”; this date range is omitted under the date rules.
The Guardian - The electricity target under consideration is for 2035.
DW.com - The climate-finance target is at least $300 billion annually by 2035.
WHY:
DW.com - Turkey’s dependence on imported fossil fuels has made it vulnerable to volatile global oil and gas markets and helped motivate its electrification push.
DW.com - Turkey’s current climate target permits emissions to rise until 2038; Climate Action Tracker says the country will struggle to meet its net-zero-by-2053 plan.
DW.com - Developing countries seek climate finance to protect people from climate impacts; vulnerable Global South countries and island nations face severe losses and risks from rising seas.
The Guardian - Bowen said Pacific island states face an existential threat from climate change and receive only a small share of available adaptation finance.
Phys.org - The UN chief’s call followed a year of devastating weather extremes.
HOW:
DW.com - The “35x35” pledge includes electrification in transport, buildings, and industry; using clean energy is preferred but not required.
(UPDATED November 9, 2026 16:01 UTC)
COP31 opened in Turkey, with negotiators urged to deliver real climate progress. Vulnerable nations demand financing and support as extreme weather destroys homes and livelihoods. Turkey is pushing electrification to reduce reliance on imported fuels.
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(UPDATED November 9, 2026 14:00 UTC)
COP31 opened in Turkey with calls for concrete climate progress and predictable financing. Vulnerable nations seek adaptation support and help addressing climate losses. Australia leads negotiations, while the United States sent no delegation.