Cop31 live: Climate crisis negotiations heat up on fifth day of talks
World leaders have departed Cop31 in Turkey, allowing real negotiations to begin on key climate issues, while UN secretary-general António Guterres makes his final address vowing to never give up on climate action.
With the departure of world leaders from Cop31 in Antalya, Turkey, the real negotiations can finally begin. Nearly all 90+ leaders who attended the summit have left, with only a few including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UN Secretary-General António Guterres remaining briefly before departing later in the day.
The first draft of the cover decision for this Cop could emerge as soon as today, though over the weekend or Monday are more likely. Key focus areas include wording on the "overshoot" of 1.5C, climate science, the transition away from fossil fuels, electrification targets, and finance.
When I leave, I will keep standing with you as an advocate and ally. And I can assure that I will never, ever give up.
Norway's oil permits invalidated
Norway's supreme court has declared the state's decision to award three permits for oil and gas fields in the North Sea invalid, as it failed to account for the harm caused by burning the fuels. The decision, celebrated by climate campaigners, doesn't automatically revoke the permits but forces the government to consider global pollution impacts before awarding licenses.
The ruling comes two days after Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stør told fellow leaders at Cop31 that "Norway will do its part" in a speech that notably omitted mention of the country's ongoing expansion of oil and gas infrastructure.
Today's decision affirms what scientists and campaigners have been saying for years: burning more oil and gas is incompatible with a healthy and secure planet.
US climate advocacy continues
With Donald Trump not sending a delegation to Cop31 for the second consecutive year, US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is the only American politician representing the US at the summit. The Rhode Island Democrat is pushing for contentious new legislation to speed up energy project approvals while advocating for a price on carbon pollution.
Whitehouse has three priorities at Cop31: pushing for a carbon price to "end the free to pollute business model", highlighting economic damage from climate crisis, and explicitly denouncing the fossil fuel industry.
World enters 'age of electricity'
The world has moved beyond the age of coal, oil and gas and is now firmly in "the age of electricity", according to Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency. More than twice as much electricity generation will be added to the global economy in the next decade than in the last, as countries seek energy security against fossil fuel volatility.
Transport is being electrified at an unprecedented rate, with electric car sales rising 60% outside China in the last nine months. The growth of AI data centers and air conditioning is also spurring electricity demand as heatwaves intensify.
A resolution to derive 35% of final energy worldwide from electricity by 2035 is on the table at Cop31, which could be one of the most important pathways to achieving mid-century decarbonization targets.
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