UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell has said that he expects COP31, which kicks off in Antalya, Türkiye next week, to be a conference that “converts pledges and targets into concrete results”.
In a statement published ahead of the conference, Stiell noted that while no single COP is a “silver bullet that can stop climate change overnight”, recent COPs have made “essential progress”, and he is confident of the same from the forthcoming gathering.
COP31 will “bring together businesses, cities, states, communities, and civil society to turn words on paper into projects on the ground”, at a time when a fossil-fuel cost crisis has sent energy and transport costs spiralling, impacting every economy.
‘Practical solutions’
“COP31 can help bolster practical solutions,” Stiell noted. “Building resilience can shelter communities and economies from worsening climate disasters – which is more vital than ever as a super El Niño turbocharges climate impacts.”
Stiell also called on participating nations to ensure that climate finance can reach people more quickly and with less administrative complexity, and highlighted the need to reduce emissions of methane and other super pollutants.
“The essential business of the Paris Agreement – national plans to deploy clean energy and increase resilience, and progress reports – keeps the wheels turning and our goals in sight,” he added.
‘Real results’
Elsewhere, COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum said that he expects the forthcoming conference to “turn the commitments of past COPs into real results”.
He said that the electrification and clean energy solutions discussed at COP31 could reduce household bills and strengthen energy security, while investment in resilience would help communities and economies prepare for worsening climate impacts.
“COP31 has also been designed to usher in the age of electricity,” he said. “This year’s energy crisis has shocked us out of our complacency, as everyone now understands that energy that you must import is energy that you do not control. Electrification is the answer. It protects communities from volatile global markets and cuts emissions.”
Chris Bowen, president of negotiations for COP31 and Australian minister for climate change and energy, added that COP31 represents a valuable opportunity to “show what cooperation can deliver at this crucial time for both our climate and global energy security.” Read more here. [Photo: ©UN Climate Change – Kiara Worth]
