COP31 Opens in Turkey Amid Energy Crisis and U.S. Absence
Leaders gather in Antalya to negotiate a 35% electrification target by 2035 while the United States skips the summit for the second year in a row.
By Alyssa Parker ·
United Nations climate negotiations have begun in Antalya, Turkey.
Leaders from around the world will meet for two weeks at COP31. The talks occur against the backdrop of a global energy crisis fueled by the ninth month of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The conflict has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and sharp increases in oil and natural gas prices. These conditions have exposed the risks of relying on fossil fuels.
Kingsmill Bond, an analyst at the energy think tank Ember, noted that this crisis differs from previous shocks in the 1970s and 2022. He stated that this is the first global energy shock where cheap solutions are readily available. Those solutions include solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles. Many of these technologies are produced in China. Bond argued that the economic benefits make it easier for nations to support change during the conference.
The primary goal of the summit is to increase the global electrification rate. Bond said the target is to raise this rate from approximately 23% today to about 35% by 2035. This objective assumes countries will expand their electricity mix with renewable energy. Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said that green energy sources like solar and wind help decarbonize economies more quickly. Financial services firm Lazard reported that large solar and wind projects now offer more cost-competitive energy than natural gas and coal.
Delegates will also address the phase-out of fossil fuels. Many countries have argued that the UN process has not done enough to tackle the main driver of climate change. Producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia have opposed including specific language on fossil fuels in final agreements. In April, more than 50 countries met to discuss transitioning away from oil, gas, and coal. More than 25 of those nations are currently developing a legally binding treaty. Supporters of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative hope to recruit more members at COP31.
The United States will not send a delegation to Antalya. The State Department confirmed the absence in an email, following last year’s decision to skip the conference in Brazil. The Trump administration has recently reversed climate actions, including phasing out subsidies for electric vehicles and renewable energy projects. Ralph Regenvanu, the minister of climate change for Vanuatu, previously noted that the U.S. absence reduced friction in negotiations.
Several Democratic lawmakers will attend the summit. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island is among them. He said the group plans to focus on fossil fuels and a potential carbon pricing mechanism. Whitehouse stated that the fossil fuel industry cannot remain free to pollute if the world wants a pathway to climate safety.
