UN Climate Talks Open in Antalya Amid Global Pressures

The UN's annual climate talks kicked off on Monday, November 9, 2026, in Turkiye as rising temperatures heighten the urgency of action. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend COP31 in a sprawling expo centre in the Mediterranean seaside city of Antalya over the next two weeks.

The Negotiations

Negotiators from nearly 200 countries are facing tough discussions over how to accelerate the energy transition and provide funds to help developing nations cope with the worsening climate emergency. Observers say few major breakthroughs are expected as countries grapple with an oil price shock and geopolitical tensions fuelled by the U.S. war with Iran and Russia's conflict in Ukraine. The climate emergency, meanwhile, continued to wreak havoc this year as punishing heatwaves baked Europe, wildfires raged in Indonesia and a glacier collapse triggered devastating floods in Nepal. An exceptionally strong El Nino climate phenomenon is forecast to peak later this year, adding to extreme weather and possibly helping to make 2026 or 2027 the hottest year on record. The United Nations warned in September that global temperatures were on course to exceed 1.5C above preindustrial levels, breaching the most ambitious threshold set by the Paris Agreement.

Turkiye And Australia

Turkiye is hosting the COP31 climate talks from November 9 to 20 in Antalya, with Australia presiding over the negotiations under an unusual arrangement that settled a dispute over who would host the conference. The partners have branded the summit as the implementation COP, focusing on turning commitments into concrete action after years of pledges. Turkiye is promoting an action agenda that encourages countries to support non-binding pledges on issues from artificial intelligence to waste management. Its centrepiece is an electrification drive to raise the share of global energy demand met by electricity to 35 percent by 2035. But the initiative could become a source of friction as the European Union has called for clean electrification, a term that could spark debate over the role of fossil fuels in the Turkish proposal.

Funding And Absent Players

The EU and other developed countries are under pressure from developing nations to fulfil promises to provide funds they need to adapt to climate impacts. A senior EU official warned that there would be no political will for extra funding pledges. African countries are pushing for the COP31 agenda to include discussions on the tripling of adaptation finance, which aims to help poorer nations pay for measures such as building sea walls or planting drought-resistant crops. Climate diplomacy is still missing a major player as President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement and has not sent officials to COP31. A U.S. congressional delegation, however, will come to Antalya, with Democrats beaming after last week's historic U.S. midterm election win. Azerbaijan's chief negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev told AFP that while negotiations are facing two weeks of gruelling talks, the mood is very good.

Context

Annual UN climate summits bring together nearly 200 nations to negotiate collective steps for curbing greenhouse gas emissions and managing the fallout of global warming. These meetings often balance ambitious long-term targets against immediate economic pressures and political disagreements between wealthy and developing countries.