COP31 opens in Antalya with 2026 set to be the second-hottest year on record

The UN climate summit, COP31, opened on Monday in Antalya, Türkiye, with delegates from more than 190 countries and the challenge of moving from promises to action in the face of a climate crisis already felt around the planet.

The meeting, which runs until November 20, comes after the European Copernicus service confirmed that 2026 will be the second-hottest year on record, and after science concluded that overshooting the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree limit is now inevitable.

Türkiye holds the conference presidency and Australia leads the negotiations, in coordination with the Pacific island states. Key topics include climate finance for the most vulnerable countries, electrification — with the goal of raising electricity's share of final energy use from just over 20% today to 35% by 2035 — and the start of the Paris Agreement's second global stocktake.

The UN Environment Programme warned that, under current commitments, the planet is headed for about 2.6 degrees of warming this century. A summit of heads of state and government is scheduled for November 11 and 12.

Photo: Cadena SER

Source: UN News