COP31 in Antalya: UN urges negotiators not to delay a deal, activists take to the streets

UN's call for speed

During the second week of the COP31 climate summit taking place in Antalya, Turkey, Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, urged delegates from more than 200 countries to speed up their work. According to him, reaching an agreement is 'difficult but vital work,' and 'there will be no collective success without compromise from every party.' 'As we approach the second week, I call on parties to move quickly to the most difficult issues and avoid tactical delays,' Stiell said, as reported by Deutsche Welle. The key goal of the summit is to prevent the planet from warming by more than 2 degrees Celsius.

Protests and a parallel summit

On Saturday, according to the organizers, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the center of Antalya in defense of the climate and human rights. Many participants expressed disappointment at the lack of progress and at the climate crisis being pushed into the background. South African activist Zaki Mamdoo told DW that 'the pursuit of profit at any cost continues to set the global agenda,' which is why resistance is necessary. Luisa Neubauer, an organizer of the German Fridays for Future, lamented the absence of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a number of other European leaders from the conference. Turkish authorities allowed the march to take place, although large public gatherings are often banned in the country. In parallel, the 'People's Climate Summit' is being held in Antalya this weekend, with the participation of hundreds of local and international civil society organizations.

Modest expectations and the summit's agenda

Expectations for COP31 are noticeably lower than for previous UN climate summits. Amid inflation, wars, deindustrialization and debt, many governments are softening their commitments to the transition to clean energy and cutting billions intended to help developing countries adapt. The United States is boycotting the negotiations for the second year in a row under President Donald Trump, who calls climate change a hoax and advocates continued use of fossil fuels. Delegates are also under pressure from major oil-producing countries that do not want stricter targets for an accelerated phase-out of oil and gas. The summit seeks to unlock financing and investment, reduce the use of so-called super-toxic pollutants and methane, and ensure food security. Host country Turkey is promoting a plan to expand global electrification, but some environmental organizations are disappointed that the proposal does not envisage increasing the share of electricity from renewable sources.

What's next

According to COP31 negotiations president Chris Bowen of Australia, the first draft of the final deal text is expected next week. The summit in Antalya will run until November 19. The context heightens activists' alarm: a UN report last month warned that within just a few years the world will exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold set at COP21 in 2015, which most scientists consider the boundary beyond which the consequences of climate change will become increasingly extreme.