Overview:
COP31 has officially opened in Antalya, Türkiye, with climate leaders and Pacific delegates calling for immediate, simplified access to climate finance and stronger protection for vulnerable island nations. Under Australia’s negotiation presidency alongside Türkiye, discussions emphasize keeping the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach and translating global commitments into concrete action.
By Elilai Rengiil
ANTALYA, Türkiye — Climate leaders opened COP31 on Monday calling for faster access to funding and stronger protection for vulnerable countries, with Australia’s negotiations president citing Pacific demands for action to limit warming and build resilience.
Climate change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, leading negotiations under Australia’s partnership with Türkiye, said the Pre-COP in Fiji and Tuvalu had delivered a clear message: keep the 1.5-degree goal within reach, accelerate climate action and make finance easier to access.
He said countries with credible plans to prepare for climate impacts and shift to cleaner energy could not obtain funding quickly enough or on suitable terms.
“The countries that need climate finance the most are getting it the least,” Bowen said.
Palau Climate Change Coordinator Xavier Erbai Matsutaro said climate funding should prioritize grants, with highly concessional financing considered only when necessary. Countries also need training and technical support to put funded projects into practice.
“Developed countries should take the lead because they are the ones with the largest emissions profile,” Matsutaro said.
He said contributions from institutions, businesses, and philanthropists for climate finance should not replace developed countries’ responsibility to provide financing.
Australia launched an Access to Finance Statement and Action Plan for small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) at the Pacific Pre-COP. Bowen said its aim was to make funding faster and simpler to obtain.
“Finance must be disbursed faster. More simply. And more fairly,” he said.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said COP31 must address barriers preventing countries from accessing committed funding and find practical ways to deliver on a commitment to triple adaptation finance.
Adaptation involves preparing for and reducing harm from climate impacts. Bowen called for stronger infrastructure, early-warning systems and institutions, with support available before and after disasters.
He said the Pacific Pre-COP had also stressed the need to protect communities, economies, and the ocean, and ensure no country faced climate impacts alone.
COP31 President Murat Kurum pledged to bring vulnerable countries’ concerns into the talks.
“Together with Australia, we are ready to ensure the Pacific is heard and to help find solutions to the challenges facing vulnerable countries,” he said.
Kurum warned that delaying investment in resilience and adaptation would increase future disaster and humanitarian costs.
He cited the climate finance target agreed in Baku of at least $300 billion a year for developing countries by 2035, alongside a broader call to increase public and private finance to at least $1.3 trillion annually.
Stiell said negotiations must clarify how those commitments would be achieved without reopening previous agreements.
The opening speeches also stressed the need to cut emissions while preparing for worsening impacts.
Bowen said the latest science indicated global warming would exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius, but returning below that level remained possible with urgent action.
“Every fraction of a degree, and every delay, increases the risks to lives, communities, economic growth and the environment,” he said.
The message is echoed by the Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS), with one of their six headline messages stating, “We must keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal within reach to stay alive and thrive. We must minimize the magnitude and duration of any overshoot as every fraction of a degree matters to PSIDS.”
Stiell called for faster deployment of renewable energy, greater use of electricity and cuts to methane emissions, saying global targets and national plans must be broken into practical steps.
Bowen said the Australian and Turkish presidencies would seek a focused, country-led COP31 decision to accelerate climate action and strengthen resilience. Its content would be developed through consultation with countries during the COP31 talks.