Turkey hosts this year’s COP31 summit on Monday against a backdrop of growing environmental risks like drastic floods, deadly heatwaves and prolonged droughts – challenges that will require nations to sift through differences and tensions if they want to tackle the climate crisis together.
More than 190 nations are expected to participate at the annual UN climate conference from November 9 to 20.
But questions remain on what the summit can achieve amid brewing geopolitical tensions and an energy crisis fueled by the war in the Middle East.
From climate finance to cutting emissions
According to a UN press release, several issues remain unsolved, including in areas like climate finance, just transition, adaptation and cutting emissions.
Developing nations have been vocal about requiring wealthier countries to fulfill their financial commitments under the Paris Agreement – the landmark deal under which nations have committed to keeping global warming well below 2°C and limiting it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
But it has triggered some disagreements over funding responsibilities, access to finance and global financial flows for climate action.
Authorities will also need to decide how to operate a mechanism to support the shift to cleaner economies, while negotiators will have to measure progress on adaptation efforts as developing countries call for greater financial support.
Moreover, ways to cut emissions and deliver on existing commitments are still at the centre of rifts.
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Putting in the work
All eyes will be on the summit and what kind of agreement will be concluded after days of hard talks and compromises – if at all – but Selwin Hart, the UN Special Adviser on Climate Action and Just Transition, believes the agreement is only part of the work.
He said conferences like these can pave the way for negotiated deals, an action agenda and national commitments, particularly on efforts to steer away from fossil fuels and contribute to climate funds.
“There’s sometimes this expectation that COPs will always have this big grand deal that will solve the climate crisis. That’s not realistic,” Hart told UN News.
Although Australia will be leading negotiations, Turkey will preside over the conference, which is expected to focus on implementation.
Turkey will particularly promote measures on clean energy, food security, resilient cities, greener industries, oceans and waste reduction.
Hart said it was crucial to pay more attention to practical solutions and implementing them.
Is it already too late?
Scientists say the world is on track to overshoot – a situation where we temporarily exceed the 1.5°C warming threshold of the Paris Agreement.
It’s a dire situation that calls into question whether it’s already too late to fight against global warming.
But the length and rise of temperatures hinge on the decisions still being made by governments, businesses and societies around the world.
“Overshoot is not surrender. Overshoot should really lead to a much greater degree of urgency,” Hart said.
And while the situation is a cause for concern, Hart is still optimistic, citing how the world is now better equipped to solve these issues with the rapid expansion of electric vehicles, solar energy and battery storage.
The important task now is to ensure clean energy investment is equally distributed – a grand challenge for today’s generation.
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Implementation is key
Emerging and developing economies outside China have only seen 18 per cent of global clean energy investment in 2025.
Africa, for example, has only a small share of global investment despite its potential for renewable energy. Access to electricity also remains scarce for around 600 million people there.
Capital investment can be costly in developing countries compared to wealthier nations, even with identical technology, which Hart considers one of the largest obstacles to accelerating renewable energy projects.
“So, our task now, in this second decade of the Paris Agreement, is to ensure that we remove the barriers to implementation, the barriers to faster action in these economies,” he added.
The fact that the conference persists and many nations are still trying to put in the work, means there’s still hope in tackling the climate crisis, but if the world wants to secure a clean future for everyone, leaders must act – and they have to act now.
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