COP31 faces tough test as climate threats mount
PARIS, FRANCE—Nearly 200 nations gather for the COP31 summit in Turkey on Monday, but tensions over geopolitics, finance and fossil fuels are tempering expectations of a major breakthrough in tackling the climate crisis.
More than 100,000 people are expected at the United Nations’ two-week climate negotiations in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.
Tougher action on fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change, appears unlikely, and budget-strapped developed countries are reluctant to commit more money to help developing nations cope with climate impacts.
An energy crisis and cost-of-living pressures, fueled by the war in the Middle East, are also looming over the gathering.
“This is not going to be the COP that changes the world,” said Paul Watkinson, France’s former chief negotiator at climate summits.
“It’s an intermediate COP in many ways. But it is an important conference, and it does need to make sure it makes progress,” he said.
Bleak outlook
A senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also tempered expectations, saying: “We cannot expect a revolution in terms of climate action from the Antalya COP.”
The talks follow deadly floods in Nepal, searing heatwaves in Europe and major wildfires in Indonesia.
