The COP31 climate summit opened in Turkey on Monday (November 9) amid initial disputes over climate financing, with the UN secretary-general urging world leaders to focus on tackling the climate crisis after a year of devastating extreme weather events worldwide.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres made the appeal as thousands of delegates gathered at a massive expo centre in Antalya, a Mediterranean city in Turkey, for the two-week annual UN climate conference.

The summit comes after severe heatwaves in Europe, devastating wildfires in Indonesia and catastrophic floods in Nepal.

With the strong influence of the El Niño weather phenomenon further intensifying climate disasters worldwide, Guterres said in a statement, “We have entered a new era of extreme weather.”

He urged world leaders to respond by rapidly reducing carbon emissions, ensuring a just transition away from fossil fuels, and providing vulnerable countries with the necessary financing and protection.

The opening ceremony of COP31 was delayed by an hour and a half without any official explanation. Negotiators remained engaged in lengthy discussions late on Sunday over demands from developing countries to include climate finance on the official agenda.

Jasper Inventor, head of Greenpeace’s COP31 delegation, said, “COP31 has already proved to be a difficult start.”

Under the UN climate agreement, developed countries have long provided financial assistance to developing nations to help them cope with the impacts of climate change and transition to clean energy. However, poorer countries argue that the funding remains grossly inadequate. Developed countries have historically been primarily responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.

Inventor said that at last year’s COP30 in Brazil, a new platform was established to discuss how wealthy nations would provide funding to developing countries. However, developed countries took a firm position against including the issue on this year’s official agenda.

A source familiar with the negotiations said the climate finance work programme would ultimately be included in the formal agenda.

African countries had also demanded that the issue of tripling adaptation finance be included on the agenda. Such funding helps poorer countries finance adaptation measures, including building sea walls and cultivating drought-resistant crops.

The source added that there would be no separate agenda item on tripling adaptation finance, but the issue would be discussed under other relevant topics.

A senior European Union official warned last week that there was little political willingness to make any additional financial commitments at COP31.

Observers say expectations for major breakthroughs or agreements at the summit remain low, as countries face pressure from oil import shocks and geopolitical tensions arising from the US-Iran war and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

Although Turkey is presiding over COP31, Australia has been given primary responsibility for negotiations and mediation under an unusual arrangement. The arrangement resolved a dispute over which country would host the summit but also raised concerns about how it would operate.

During the opening ceremony, COP31 President and Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum and Australia’s Climate Minister Chris Bowen raised their hands together amid applause, praising their cooperation.

After years of successive agreements and ambitious declarations, the two countries have described this year’s summit as an “Implementation COP”, aiming to turn commitments into concrete action.

However, a major player remains absent from global climate diplomacy. US President Donald Trump, who has expressed scepticism about climate change, has not sent an official delegation to COP31.

A US congressional delegation comprising Democrats, who celebrated victories in last week’s historic US midterm elections, is nevertheless expected to attend the summit in Antalya.

Source: AFP