Doha, November 08 (QNA) - All eyes will turn tomorrow to the Turkish city of Antalya, which will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), a move that reinforces Turkiye's role in international cooperation to combat climate change.

The conference will bring together heads of state, ministers, scientists, and private-sector leaders, alongside non-governmental organizations and international bodies, with the aim of shaping the next phase of climate action.

Climate justice sits at the forefront of recommendations proposed for the conference, which will take place from Nov. 9-20. Turkiye will host the event, while Australia will lead the formal negotiations, a joint arrangement that places the responsibility on both nations to demonstrate credible climate leadership. The Turkish presidency of the conference aims to position Antalya as a stepping stone, moving from dialogue to consensus, and from consensus to action, while prioritizing areas such as food security, resilient cities, oceans and seas, clean energy, green manufacturing, health, education, and waste reduction.

COP31 will be held under the theme 'COP of the Future: COP of Implementation.' Its vision rests on three main pillars: dialogue, consensus, and action; translating pledges into reality; and accelerating the reduction of emissions.

The conference serves as the largest international summit for negotiating and fostering global cooperation on climate change, a crisis that spares no country, society, or economy, making collaboration among nations vital to addressing this global challenge.

Climate negotiations have already made notable progress, bringing down projected global temperature increases from over 4 degrees Celsius to 2.6 degrees. However, further and more rapid action is still required to protect all people and economies.

The conference agenda is expected to focus on strengthening nationally determined contributions, climate finance mechanisms, the transformation of economies and the energy sector, carbon reduction strategies, and nature-based solutions.

Urgent global challenges, such as rising sea levels, water scarcity, food security, and the loss of biodiversity, are also being addressed through concrete climate risk management strategies. More than 90 heads of state and around 300 ministers are expected to participate in the conference, alongside representatives from various institutions and civil society organizations from across the globe.

The conference takes on particular significance as the world nears the threshold of exceeding the 1.5°C limit for global temperature rise above pre-industrial levels, a warning acknowledged by the UN in September. The conference also follows record-breaking heatwaves and climate-related disasters that have claimed thousands of lives and caused damage to homes, agricultural land, and infrastructure across various parts of the world, underscoring the urgent need to move from pledges to concrete action, focused on reducing emissions and providing the necessary funding for climate adaptation.

These international climate meetings have been held annually since 1995 and have led to significant global achievements, such as the 2015 Paris Agreement. This agreement has set the world on the right path to slow down, and eventually halt, climate change, which is already causing rising temperatures, more intense storms, prolonged droughts, and sea-level rise.

The conference includes a global summit for heads of state and government, held on Nov. 11-12 under the patronage of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The conference features opening sessions, national statements, and roundtables focused on resilient cities, climate finance, the circular economy, and blue climate action.

The conference will designate Nov. 9 as COP Health Day, positioning health as a priority under the theme 'Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems.' The COP presidency, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, is preparing to launch the 'Antalya Initiative for Health Resilience,' which aims to shift the discourse on climate and health from the realm of international pledges and discussions toward practical policies and actionable, measurable interventions. 

In a statement issued on Nov. 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) explained that the initiative aims to translate scientific evidence, international experience and good practices into concrete policies and measurable actions, promote the sharing of successful practices among countries, and strengthen the resilience of health systems to climate-related risks.

Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition Selwin Hart said that the COP31 conference in Antalya will not solve the climate crisis in the span of two weeks, but it could help remove some of the barriers preventing available solutions from reaching those who need them most.

In an interview with UN News, Hart explained that these annual gatherings allow governments to assess progress and negotiate how to address a challenge that no single nation can solve on its own. "There’s now a clear recognition that addressing the climate crisis requires all hands on deck," Hart added.

He further noted that the conference places a particular focus on implementation; Turkiye is promoting initiatives related to clean energy, food security, sustainable cities, eco-friendly industries, the oceans, and waste reduction, emphasizing the need to move beyond mere promises and focus on practical solutions.

In a report published on Nov. 4, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) emphasized that developing countries will require approximately $305 billion annually by 2035 to build their resilience and mitigate risks associated with climate change.

The UNEP explained that, although global warming is on track to exceed the threshold of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, the funding allocated to help communities adapt to climate change remains far below actual needs. It noted that even if international public funding for adaptation were tripled, it would cover only 29% of these requirements at most.

Although the world today possesses more tools than ever before to address climate change, millions of people remain unable to benefit from them. With the rapid development of clean energy technologies, the challenge facing nations at the annual COP climate conference is no longer limited to finding solutions; it now extends to ensuring that these solutions are affordable and accessible to all. The world had witnessed catastrophic floods, deadly heatwaves, and prolonged droughts in 2026, and scientists warn that the world is on a path to exceed the threshold of a 1.5°C rise in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels.

Three reports from the UN Climate Change office show that an increasing number of governments are taking comprehensive climate action across all sectors of their economies to harness the immense benefits of clean energy and climate resilience. These reports provide further evidence that nearly all major economies, as well as many small and medium-sized ones, now view climate action as a key driver for economic growth, job creation, and the provision of secure, affordable energy.

While these reports serve as a reminder of the daunting challenges currently facing the international community, they also demonstrate the resilience of nations and their continued progress. This is particularly significant given that the impacts of climate change are inflicting ever-greater harm on populations and economies with each passing year. The reports underscore that climate action leads to safer communities, more competitive economies, and lower costs for households, governments, and businesses, all the more relevant in light of the ongoing crisis surrounding the cost of fossil fuels.

However, this year’s reports once again show that collective progress remains clearly insufficient, that global transitions are highly uneven, and that many countries face significant obstacles in achieving their goals and commitments. (QNA)