Overview
- COP31 formally opened in Antalya, Turkey on Monday with talks running through November 20 as negotiators focus on turning pledges into concrete action.
- The Turkish presidency has launched an 'electrification' campaign that aims to raise electricity's share of final energy use to 35 percent by 2035 and is promoting a pledge for data centers to use renewables and boost electricity efficiency.
- Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will not attend the leaders' summit for the third straight year and the Trump administration is not sending a U.S. delegation, raising questions about high-level buy-in for agreements.
- Australia is coordinating intergovernmental negotiations that center on speeding up adaptation measures and expanding and simplifying finance for loss and damage to meet demands from developing countries.
- UNEP analyses that 1.5°C is likely to be exceeded within a few years and recent disasters such as the Nepal glacier-linked landslide are intensifying calls for measurable near-term steps and faster, easier access to support for vulnerable communities.