Parties’ priorities ahead of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya
Nations gather in Turkey to negotiate climate finance, a just transition mechanism and other key issues under a joint Australian‑Turkish presidency.
Background to COP31
Delegates will soon meet in the Turkish resort city of Antalya for the UN climate negotiations known as COP31. The talks come against a backdrop of war, an energy crisis and climate extremes.
Joint presidency and host priorities
This summit is unusual because it has a joint presidency. Australia is leading the negotiations while Turkey hosts the conference. In addition to the formal agenda, Turkey is pushing its own “action agenda” that includes electrification, oceans and green industrialisation.
Key issues on the table
Just transition – Nations agreed at COP30 in Brazil (2025) to create a practical mechanism, the “Belém‑Antalya mechanism” (BAM), often called the “just transition mechanism” (JTM). Details remain unresolved, especially the scope and whether finance will be tied to it. Civil‑society groups see its activation as a “key expected outcome” of COP31.
Climate finance – Developing countries have secured a “work programme” on climate finance for the agenda, aiming to pressure developed nations to increase public funding under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement. Some propose a “burden sharing” arrangement. Developed countries prefer a broader focus on improving access to existing finance and widening the donor base.
Adaptation and mitigation – Negotiators failed in June to agree on a “global goal on adaptation” (GGA) and on the mitigation work programme (MWP). Developing nations stress the need for finance to fund adaptation and want reassurance that the pledge to “triple adaptation finance” will be honoured.
Global stocktake and NDCs – The first global stocktake (2023) set out mitigation measures such as transitioning away from fossil fuels and tripling renewable energy by 2030. Parties were to update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by 2025; only 150 parties, covering three‑quarters of emissions, have done so. The second global stocktake will launch at COP31 and conclude in 2028.
Tracking positions
Carbon Brief has analysed around 100 documents and compiled an interactive table that lists each country or UN negotiating bloc, the topics under debate, specific issues within those topics, and the parties’ expressed positions – ranging from “priority” (likely to push the issue) to “oppose” (likely to resist it). The table is a “living document” that will be updated throughout COP31. Contributions can be sent to policy@carbonbrief.org.
Additional initiatives
Turkey’s “action agenda” also seeks global targets for electrification, waste reduction and lower building‑sector emissions. The Australian presidency aims for a “cover text” decision that could capture some of these wider targets. A new “climate implementation bridge” effort intends to translate NDC goals into an “investable project portfolio”.
Beyond the formal talks, a joint letter signed by 105 parties calls for oceans to be placed “at the heart of climate action” within the UNFCCC framework.
As COP31 unfolds, the interactive table will continue to reflect shifting priorities and the evolving landscape of international climate negotiations.
