Cop31 must deliver climate progress that people can see is real, host says

The Cop31 summit must produce progress, "a tangible outcome ... that people can see is real", its host has said as scores of world leaders and representatives of close to 190 countries gather in Turkey for the UN climate talks. The high-stakes meeting begins as countries grapple with the strongest El Niño weather system on record, supercharged by fossil fuels, which is set to take hundreds of thousands of lives and cause damage costing trillions of dollars.

Climate Finance Dispute

Friction is expected between the rich and poor worlds over who pays for the impacts of the climate crisis, and the slow pace of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Temperatures have broken records this year, surpassing the limit of 1.5C above preindustrial levels aimed for in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Dual Host Arrangement

Although the summit is being held in Turkey, the formal negotiations will be presided over by Australia, following a compromise reached last year over their competing bids. Chris Bowen, Australia's climate and energy minister and president of negotiations for Cop31, told the Guardian: We need a tangible outcome focused on implementation that people can see is real. We need progress, it needs to be a step forward on previous Cops.

Australia also wants a "strong, ambitious outcome" to raise the plight of low-lying countries in the Pacific region. "We need to finally elevate some of the issues so important to our Pacific family," Bowen said. Only 0.2% of the world's available climate finance goes to small island developing states for adaptation, for countries whose very existence is at stake.

US Absence and Domestic Response

The summit will have a notable absentee, with the US refusing to send a delegation for the second year in a row. The Trump administration wants no part of "extremist climate policies" embraced by other countries, according to a White House spokesperson.

Donald Trump expressed glee about the huge profits made by oil and gas companies due to the Iran war, which he started and has caused an increase in living costs. "I don't give a damn," the president said. "I'm going to say it: we're making a frickin' fortune." However, a group of 20 Democratic members of Congress have made the trip to Antalya, buoyed by their party's success in the US midterms that will enable them to stymie Trump's attempts to dismantle pollution rules.