UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell has called on the governments attending COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye to “supercharge solutions” and break down national plans into practical steps that can be delivered swiftly.
In his opening statement at COP31, Stiell said that while previous COP meetings have “sent signals” and set global targets, this year’s conference needs to deliver on the tripling of adaptation finance agreed at the previous year’s negotiations, address difficulties countries face in accessing committed funding, and achieve the target of tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030.
“90% of large renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, and adaptation is moving from the margins to the mainstream,” he commented. “But progress is nowhere near fast or fair enough.”
Stiell said action on methane and electrification together – which he described as a “planetary icepack” – could reduce projected global warming by half a degree.
“This is the best way we can tackle overshoot right now: lassoing it back with solution after solution,” he added.
Climate finance
On climate finance, Stiell said that COP31 negotiations need to clarify how to deliver the existing commitments of $300 billion and $1.3 trillion, without reopening previous agreements – a goal that will “require the whole financial system to step-up”.
Citing the recent catastrophe in the Himalayas, and describing El Niño as “piling fuel on the climate fire”, Stiell added that the shift to clean energy and resilience needs to be built on “solidarity and collective progress”.
The UN climate chief also highlighted the economic costs of fossil fuel price volatility, which had “spread inflation like a cancer”, he said.
“The fall-out has been severe, both economically and politically, as we’ve just seen. But the solutions are clear: Global renewables saved around half a trillion dollars last year. And another $265 billion in the first half of this year alone. Adaptation delivers proven returns on investment.”
Accelerate implementation
In closing, Stiell said no single climate conference could close the gap between scientific requirements and action, but argued that COP31 had an opportunity to accelerate implementation.
“Every recent COP has delivered strides forward,” he said. “This one must too. A climate solutions step-up creates a real chance for faster progress. We have a responsibility to take it.” Read more here. [Photo ©UN Climate Change – Kiara Worth]
