Climate Conference: what can COP31 achieve?
The 31st UN Climate Change Conference began in Antalya, Turkey, on Monday. Over two weeks, delegates from around 200 countries will aim to reach an agreement on concrete climate protection measures to curb global warming as quickly as possible. Turkey is co-hosting COP31 with Australia. The press sees some signs that real progress can be made.
More electriticy is the key
SRF opints to positive developments:
“There are a number of new initiatives. One of the most interesting is the proposal by host country Turkey to increase the global share of electricity in total final energy consumption to at least 35 percent by 2035. Today, that number stands at 23 percent. The switch to electric vehicles, heat pumps and electric industrial motors is already economically viable in many cases. If the proposal were supported by many countries, it would be an important step towards phasing out fossil fuels.”
Ankara clinging to coal and gas
Birgün, however, criticises that the host of the climate summit is sending out the wrong signal:
“Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced to the whole world ahead of COP31 that the country would not phase out fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) by 2040. COP31 President Murat Kurum, the Minister for the Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change – who otherwise says 'We don't have a single day to lose' – has yet to comment on this, however. ... Bayraktar's statement has made it clear that Turkey intends to continue operating its coal- and gas-fired power stations, which account for around 147 million tonnes of the country's total 584 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions, until 2040. Yet in the run-up to COP31, which is being referred to as the 'Implementation COP', the world had expected steps towards phasing out fossil fuels.”
Encouraging progress
There has been at least some progress on the climate protection front, the Irish Examiner stresses:
“The question facing Antalya is how to accelerate action when even delivering existing pledges would leave the world facing severe warming. ... There are grounds for resisting despair. The UN Environment Programme UNEP records that renewable energy has expanded rapidly and climate policies have reduced emissions in many places. Progress is possible and measurable. The challenge is to extend successful measures quickly enough, while supporting people and countries whose resources to respond are weakest.”
The tide could turn in 2026
The Frankfurter Rundschau also sees cause for optimism:
“Especially since the fossil fuel laggards are suffering setbacks. In Brazil, Lula's election victory has left the country with a president who takes protecting the Amazon seriously. In the US midterms, Trump's Republicans suffered a defeat. Coupled with the boom in clean energy, 2026 could be the year when the tide turns for the better. Former US Vice-President and climate activist Al Gore has expressed this hope. It's about time, too.”
Current decline in CO2 not sustainable
We shouldn't make too much of this year's positive trend, Der Standard warns:
“Trump's actions in Iran in particular have caused oil prices to soar. Supply has been curbed, and consumption has fallen. One of the many consequences of this can now be seen in the Global Carbon Budget Report: fossil fuel emissions are expected to fall in 2026. ... One might argue that why CO2 emissions have gone down is of secondary importance – the main thing being that a turnaround finally takes place. The reasons for the decline are crucial, however, as they allow us to assess whether the trend is sustainable: global emissions also dropped during the Covid pandemic thanks to economic factors. But as soon as the crisis was over they shot up again.”