According to Tubiana, President of the European Climate Foundation, Türkiye's "diplomacy power" can have a great impact at COP31

Tubiana made evaluations to the AA correspondent about the latest developments in the fight against climate change and his expectations from COP31 under the chairmanship of Türkiye, before COP31 to be held in Antalya on 9-20 November, hosted by Türkiye.

Stating that the most striking factor that has slowed down climate action in the world in recent years is the "conflict of interest" between countries, Tubiana said that there are actors such as the USA and Russia who see climate action as a major threat to their economies.

Therefore, Tubiana emphasized that the difficulties in combating climate change are not due to lack of technology or lack of capital, but are mainly related to "political economy".

However, stating that the energy system based on fossil fuels is "under a real threat", Tubiana explained that the recent crisis with the interruption of the supply flow in the Strait of Hormuz shows that energy security cannot be achieved with fossil fuels.

Tubiana pointed out that for this reason, many countries no longer see their future in fossil fuels and said, "I think we will see this divergence between countries grow at COP31. I hope that the countries that say they want to move away from fossil fuels will continue to move in this direction, because the effects of climate change manifest themselves in every country, every year. There is no country that is not affected by this. Moreover, it is not just about devastating events such as forest fires, floods or droughts. We see how difficult it is to adapt to the changing climate and that people lose their lives for this reason." he said.

On the other hand, Tubiana noted that before the Paris Agreement, there was a risk that the global temperature increase would reach 4 degrees by the end of the century, but with the steps taken after the agreement, this increase is now expected to be above 2 degrees, and said, "I hope this situation will be a wake-up call. I think Antalya can be a turning point to face the facts. What I mean by realism here is to accept that the price of waiting is getting heavier and more expensive despite the intensifying climate change, and to take action." he said.

Tubiana pointed out that climate action is currently at the lowest level in the world and emphasized the importance that other countries should show determination to progress despite the actors blocking the process.

At this point, pointing out Türkiye's role within the scope of the COP31 Presidency, Tubiana continued his speech as follows:

"I think that the political weight that Türkiye has and can use is important, especially in building bridges between different parties. Türkiye has a unique diplomacy, a unique role. I think this role is very useful right now and we need countries that undertake this task. Considering Türkiye's role in diplomacy and geopolitics today, I think that the situation assessment and messages it will give as COP31 President can have a great impact. Türkiye should use this capacity, provide a broad perspective and reveal the big picture." I hope that Türkiye should act with this perspective by assuming the role of COP31 Presidency."

Tubiana stated that it is an important step for Türkiye to encourage increasing the global electrification rate to 35 percent by 2035 within the scope of the COP31 agenda, and said that Türkiye has a very dynamic and strong renewable energy sector.

Noting that Türkiye can greatly reduce its dependence on coal and fossil fuel imports with its potential, technological and financial capacity in this field, Tubiana stated that coal imports do not serve national interests.

Tubiana added that Türkiye can lead a relatively more active decarbonization policy and that investors continue to show interest, especially in renewable energy projects.

About COP31

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is being held in Türkiye for the first time. This year he is chairing the 31st edition of the conference.

As COP31 President, Türkiye aims to implement the "Implementation COP" in order to turn discourses into action in the fight against climate change.

The action agenda of COP31, where leaders of 197 countries will discuss commitments, policies and solution proposals against the climate crisis, includes important items such as increasing the global electrification rate to 35 percent by 2035, zero waste, resilient cities and green industrialization.