Antalya, Türkiye – Greenpeace has called on governments at the UN climate summit COP31 to respond to the looming overshoot of 1.5°C with urgent action to phase-out fossil fuels and end forest destruction to limit the extent and duration of the overshoot.
After the stark reality check from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) confirming an overshoot of the 1.5°C global warming limit will occur, the test at COP31 is whether governments can respond with action. Antalya must break the cycle of negotiations that produce incremental compromises rather than the breakthroughs needed to confront the worsening climate crisis.
Jasper Inventor, Head of COP31 Greenpeace Delegation said: "The world is not short of climate promises, but we've run out of time to prevent a 1.5°C overshoot. Now COP31 must prove how climate diplomacy can deliver real change, not just more commitments that governments spend the next decade discussing how to implement.
"COP31 needs to secure a breakthrough that delivers. Every fraction of a degree matters and every year of delay makes the consequences more severe. We need a fast, fair and funded transition away from fossil fuels, an end to forest destruction, urgently required climate finance for developing countries, and to make those most responsible for the climate crisis pay their fair share.
"An agreement at COP31 that falls short of what science demands is not a breakthrough, no matter how many countries sign up to it. Implementation cannot mean doing the bare minimum. It's time for action."
Ahead of the start of COP31, Greenpeace Türkiye activists displayed a giant banner on the Konyaaltı Beach in Antalya that was visible from space as a symbol of the planetary plight. The banner, which read COP31: KEEP 1.5°C ALIVE, was photographed by satellite. Photos are available from the Greenpeace media library and an overview of Greenpeace's expectations and activities at COP31 are found below.[1][2]
Berkan Özyer, Director of Greenpeace Türkiye, said: "As we face one of the most severe energy crises of the last century and the looming 1.5°C overshoot, the need for urgent action has never been clearer. A powerful call is rising from local communities and civil society across Türkiye for a just transition away from fossil fuels and we are bringing this voice directly to COP31.
"Türkiye should view its COP31 presidency as a genuine opportunity to demonstrate real climate leadership. The electrification goal will only succeed if it is anchored in a phase-out of fossil fuels and powered by renewable energy. As COP31 host, Türkiye cannot champion global pledges while ignoring contradictions at home: plans for new coal-fired power plants must be immediately canceled, a clear timeline for a just transition away from coal must be announced, and plastic waste imports must be completely banned as the true test of its 'Zero Waste' vision."
Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: "International law and climate science tell us that 1.5°C is a lifeline for our communities, but the political landscape treats overshoot like a temporary inconvenience. In the Pacific, we know the truth: once our reefs die and our lands disappear under rising seas, there is no coming back, no matter how much carbon you try to pull out of the air decades down the line. This is irreversible harm!
"The COP31 electrification push will mean nothing if it's used to disguise the real problem - fossil fuels. If this COP is to deliver real implementation, it must address the extraction driving us into overshoot. For this to truly be the implementation COP, what actually matters is a binding, managed, funded and urgent phase-out of fossil fuels."
