The 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the world's most important organization in the fight against climate change, hosted by Türkiye for the first time, started in Antalya COP31 Area.
COP30 President Andre Aranha Correa do Lago, the previous term president, handed over his duties to COP31 President Murat Kurum, and Türkiye's COP31 Presidency was announced to the world.
Speaking later at the opening of COP31, Kurum pointed out that the world is changing rapidly and facing many challenges at the same time, and stated that wars and geopolitical tensions are currently continuing, and trade routes, energy lines and supply chains are being reshaped.
The institution stated that currently, economic uncertainties, debt burden and high cost of living touch the daily lives of millions of people in the world, and hundreds of millions of people have difficulty in accessing food. He said that technology and artificial intelligence are advancing at a dizzying pace in the world, while great distances continue in access to capital, information and technology.
Stating that the world will become hotter, more fragile and more prone to disasters, Kurum said that different geographies of the world now meet on the same climate calendar, the date of drought that starts in one place is written on the table in another place, and a river overflowing in one region changes the production calendar of factories thousands of kilometers away.
"We are at point zero"
"Decreasing water in a country has consequences that extend to the economy, migration movements and security of other societies. Extreme heat puts a strain on cities, agriculture and human health at the same time. The world is telling us something very clear, we are at point zero." said Kurum and continued his words as follows:
"Therefore, in today's world, we are out of words. We have to act with this awareness. Because, climate policy is also development policy. Food policy. Energy policy. City policy. Above all, it is the policy of protecting the future of the human being. This is exactly why we are in Antalya. In an age where crises magnify each other, we are here to establish solutions that strengthen each other. Our geographies may be different. Our conditions, opportunities and priorities may be different. But the world's climate calendar is common. A common calendar brings a common responsibility. This is Antalya's call. We want to expand dialogue in a time when divisions are increasing, to rebuild trust in a time when trust is tested, to mobilize opportunities in a time when need is growing, and to make COP31 an Implementation COP for this."
"Let's establish a historical cooperation together in Antalya"
COP31 President Kurum stated that these lands are a geography where roads have crossed, ideas have encountered, trade and culture have touched each other for centuries.
Emphasizing that today they aim to bring together humanity's needs and opportunities by moving this historical talent to a new area, Kurum said, "Because there are invisible distances in the world. There is a distance between those who have access to finance and those who cannot. There is a distance between those who have technology and those who need that technology. There is a distance between countries with strong resilience capacity and fragile societies. The great task of climate diplomacy is to reduce these distances." he said.
The institution said, "Turkey has been a bridge throughout history. Now, under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it is ready to assume responsibility to bring together the expectations of the north and south, developed countries and developing countries on a common ground. It is ready to hear the voice of the Pacific together with Australia and find solutions to the problems of fragile countries." he said.
Explaining that one of the most expensive costs of climate action is delay, Kurum pointed out that the resilience investment postponed today may turn into the disaster cost of tomorrow.
Stating that adaptation financing not received today may exacerbate the humanitarian crisis of tomorrow, Kurum continued his words as follows:
"That's why we have to carry the cost of the future into today's decisions. The 1.5 degree target continues to show our way. We will speak openly about the facts revealed by science. We will bring the voice of the most fragile countries and communities to the center of our agenda. The real life of the decisions we make in Antalya will begin as soon as they leave these halls. From here, I call on all countries, peoples and young people, let's establish a historical cooperation together in Antalya. Let's turn words into results. Let's turn decisions into investments. Let's put knowledge into action. One decision is one decision. "It should live in the infrastructure of the city, it should live in the land of a farmer, it should live in the production line of a factory. Because the real value of a decision is revealed when it touches human life."
"We care about the Zero Waste concept"
The institution reminded that there are three concepts at the center of the COP31 Presidency's approach: dialogue, consensus and action, and stated that they aim to first have the parties listen to each other, then expand the common ground and reflect the common will on the field.
Stating that there is information, technology, capital and human resources in the world, but the issue is that they reach the right place and the right person at the right time, Kurum said, "That's why we care about the Zero Waste concept. The Zero Waste Movement, under the leadership of First Lady Emine Erdoğan, makes protecting resources, reducing waste, increasing efficiency a part of daily life. We see our children and young people as the strongest carriers of this transformation." he said.
The institution made the following evaluations, explaining that a habit acquired today turns into the culture of tomorrow and that they carry the same approach to energy transformation:
"With our 35 by 35 Global Electrification Commitment, we have set the goal of increasing the share of electricity in final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. Renewable energy, strong networks, storage capacity, energy efficiency, clean transportation and green industry are complementary parts of this transformation. We want to see the outcome of the climate negotiations in new job opportunities in people's daily lives. All of this requires a strong financing architecture. However, we need another infrastructure besides finance, trust. Because, trust." "It is also a climate infrastructure. A country's ability to see the value of its promises, to access the resources it needs, to receive the promised financing on time and to believe that the decisions taken will be implemented... This is the invisible infrastructure of global cooperation."
Stating that an agreement was reached in Baku on a climate finance target of at least 300 billion dollars annually for developing countries until 2035, Kurum said that a call was made to increase public and private resources to at least 1.3 trillion dollars annually, and that now is the time to turn the word into capital, capital into investment, and investment into results.
The institution stated that when looking at the needs map of the world and the map of capital, technology, knowledge and expertise, two different pictures emerge, and that by bringing these two maps together, they aim to bring together investors with projects seeking financing, countries in need of technology and solution owners, local needs and global capacity.
Explaining that this is the purpose of the Climate Implementation Bridge, the Authority noted that they will carry the opportunity where there is need and the responsibility where there is opportunity.
"If the world will share a common future, it will also bear the responsibility of that future together."
COP31 President Kurum emphasized that they want to leave Antalya not just with a list of decisions, but with a working culture where countries listen to each other, institutions establish mutual trust, scientists share their knowledge, entrepreneurs develop solutions, companies take responsibility and financial institutions mobilize their resources.
Stating that he talked about Brazil's muchiaro spirit in Belem, Kurum said, "In our culture, this has a strong equivalent that has been alive for centuries, imece. imece is when everyone contributes when a person is not able to do so. imece means sharing hope as well as sharing the burden. This is exactly what the world needs today." he said.
The institution stated that there is a need for the knowledge of every country, the experience of every society, the energy of every generation, the capacity of every institution, and said that when Antalya is remembered years later, they want it to be talked about which works were started before which sentences were made here, which investments were put into action, which technologies crossed the borders, which cities gained resilience, which child looked to the future with more confidence.
"Let Antalya's legacy be greater than our words. An Antalya that reduces invisible distances, an Antalya that brings together need and opportunity, an Antalya that replaces delay with action, an Antalya that brings climate action to people's lives..." said Kurum, adding:
"Let's pave the way together, from dialogue to consensus, from consensus to action, from action to implementation, from implementation to people's lives, in the spirit of collaboration. Because, the strongest message we will give here is that if the world is going to share a common future, it will bear the responsibility of that future together. I would like to express my gratitude to our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and his esteemed wife, Emine Erdoğan, who have strongly supported this process. UN Secretary-General Antonyo Guteres, and Executive Director Simon "I would like to thank Still, the Climate Secretariat, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Government, my dear friend Chris Bowen, our teams, the people of Antalya and our volunteers."
