COP31 opens in Antalya
Leaders gather to address a lost 1.5C target and energy costs driven by the Strait of Hormuz closure.
By Meera Fletcher ·
The 2026 United Nations climate summit began in the Turkish city of Antalya on Monday. Delegates are meeting as global temperatures continue to rise and energy markets remain volatile due to geopolitical conflict.
Negotiations at the Conference of the Parties, or COP31, run through November 20. The gathering follows a year marked by extreme weather events, including deadly heat waves across Europe and devastating floods in Nepal.
The summit arrives at a difficult time for energy prices. The war in Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. This disruption has increased the global cost of gasoline, oil, and related products such as fertilizers and pesticides. These rising costs are pushing governments to reconsider their energy strategies and invest more in wind and solar power.
Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum presides over the event. He stated that this is the first summit where it is clear the world will exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius warming target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Kurum said the delegates will not lower their ambition despite this shift in scientific reality.
Kurum announced an Action Agenda that prioritizes turning previous commitments into concrete steps rather than setting new targets. Key components of this plan include reducing methane emissions and building cities that can withstand climate impacts. A central goal is to increase the share of electricity in energy use from 21 percent to 35 percent by 2035, with a preference for renewable sources.
Delegates will also debate how to assist poorer nations in adapting to rising temperatures and transitioning away from fossil fuels. This discussion follows criticism of the previous two summits in Brazil and Azerbaijan. The final texts from those meetings failed to mention fuels, marking a departure from the 2028 agreement in Dubai which called for a transition away from fossil fuels.
The United States, the world's second-largest polluter after China, is not attending. President Donald Trump withdrew the country from climate negotiations when he took office for a second term in January 2025. This absence leaves a gap in the group of major emitters participating in the talks.
Simon Stiell, the United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary, noted that every recent summit has made essential progress. He emphasized that COP31 in Antalya will continue that work. The event is jointly organized by Turkey and Australia, a compromise reached after both countries vied for the host role. Both nations face scrutiny for their heavy reliance on coal power.
