UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell
COP31 Opening Statement
Excellencies, colleagues, friends,
In this new era of implementation, at COP31, we're doing things differently.
Not discarding what went before. But building on it. Honing it. To deliver progress faster.
COPs have traditionally sent signals:
Setting global targets. Deciding the direction of travel. Building momentum and resolve.
Since forging the Paris Agreement together, we've sent signal after signal to political systems and global markets.
That changed our world.
90% of large renewable projects are now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives.
And adaptation is moving from the margins to the mainstream.
But progress is nowhere near far enough or fair enough.
So, as well as sending signals, COP31 must supercharge solutions. Breaking-down existing global targets and national plans into component steps.
And landing practical solutions:
Solutions to deliver on the tripling of finance for adaptation - as agreed last year.
Solutions to tackle the immense frustration countries face in accessing committed, available finance.
Solutions to triple global renewables capacity by 2030...
To transport energy across grids and borders, to power the electric age…
And to slash super-polluting methane emissions, particularly in the oil and gas, and waste sectors - including learning from leading energy producers.
Together, action on methane and electrification are the planetary icepack - able to cut half a degree from projected global heating.
Excellencies,
This is the best way we can tackle overshoot right now: lassoing it back with solution after solution.
And from now on, there'll be more space at COPs for countries to coordinate their delivery.
Doing things differently includes this year's unique partnership between Türkiye and Australia:
Driving solutions across both the negotiations and the Action Agenda.
I sincerely thank our gracious hosts, and commend the COP31 President Minister Murat Kurum, for your clear Action Agenda calls.
At UN Climate Change we want to support countries to engage with all that the Action Agenda has to offer.
We're working on a moment on the final day of the COP, bringing together progress made over these two weeks.
We're interested in exploring - with you - ways we can support government counterparts to boost collaboration with non-party stakeholders, and mobilize action towards shared priorities.
Many developing countries have not been able to engage fully with the Action Agenda. That means they're missing out. Missing out on the chance to harness its benefits to build resilience and transition to clean energy.
We must help them to do so. So, I invite all countries - on a voluntary basis - to communicate focal points to me, who the Secretariat can keep up to date on Action Agenda progress and opportunities.
We also want to rally more doers across economies. This includes coordinating with other climate weeks around the world to convene around the six axes of the Action Agenda.
The Action Agenda is not about giving countries a way out of delivering on their commitments. It is about boosting their implementation.
As we adapt our approach, the negotiations remain central.
Consensus remains at the heart of this process, guided by COP31 President of Negotiations Minister Chris Bowen.
Strong outcomes on the mandated negotiation items are absolutely essential.
The stronger the outcomes, the more they will help Parties convert their targets into real-world outcomes, spreading more benefits to more people.
Agreement on the Just Transition Mechanism will make it easier for countries to bring whole societies through the transition together.
Agreements on adaptation will give us a board to disburse funds to countries, and help indicators drive forward progress at the national level.
Agreements on mitigation that help countries accelerate implementation across sectors and economies and send stronger signals to markets and societies on cutting planet-heating pollution.
Agreements on finance will give us clarity on how to achieve the 300 billion and 1.3 trillion commitments, without reopening previous agreements.
That will require the whole financial system to step-up.
Excellencies,
The urgency of this moment must drive us forward.
Global heating is already costing the Earth:
Appalling tragedy has hit the Himalayas, adding to the ever-expanding catalogue hitting communities across every region.
A monster El Niño is piling fuel on the climate fire that's already burning through communities and economies everywhere.
The vulnerable everywhere pay the highest price - underscored by the Pre-COP in Fiji, in partnership with Australia and Pacific islands.
Profound injustice threatens our solidarity and collective progress.
Frustration is palpable.
Fairness must be at the heart of a truly global shift to clean energy and resilience. Because it is right.
And because it serves every countries' interests: to limit global heating, and protect every community and every economy.
Meanwhile, this year's fossil fuel cost chaos has delivered a global shockwave, hitting households hard and spreading inflation like a cancer.
The fall-out has been severe, both economically and politically, as we've just seen.
But the solutions are clear:
Global renewables saved around half a trillion dollars last year. And another $265 billion in the first half of this year alone.
Adaptation delivers proven returns on investment.
Practical solutions are how we roll-out these remedies to more people, in more places, much faster...
Amid these pressures bearing down around the world.
And in doing so, build a solid foundation for the second global stocktake in two years from now.
UN Climate Change stands with you over these two weeks and beyond.
But we too face our challenges.
Mandates are growing. Funds are shrinking.
We've delivered extensive efficiencies. And will continue doing so. But serious work is needed with Parties on our budget consultations over the next six months. We can't keep doing more with less.
Excellencies,
No COP is a silver bullet.
No single conference can bridge the chasm between the science and reality.
We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be.
Every recent COP has delivered strides forward. This one must too.
A climate solutions step-up creates a real chance for faster progress.
We have a responsibility to take it.
Friends, this is what the era of implementation looks like.
So let's get to work.
I thank you.
COP31 President Murat Kurum
COP31 Opening Statement
English version & Turkish version below
My dear colleagues André and Chris, Executive Secretary Simon, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen,
I extend a warm welcome to you all, here in Antalya, Türkiye.
Dear friends,
As we meet today, let us begin by looking at the world around us. It is changing fast, under pressure from many challenges at once.
War and geopolitical tension persist. Trade routes, energy networks and supply chains are being redrawn.
For millions, economic uncertainty, heavy debt and the high cost of living shape daily life. Hundreds of millions struggle to put food on the table.
Technology and artificial intelligence are moving ahead at extraordinary speed. Yet access to capital, knowledge and technology remains deeply unequal. All of this is unfolding in a world that is hotter, more fragile and more exposed to disasters. Across continents, we now live by the same climate calendar. A drought in one part of the world is felt at the dinner table in another.
When a river bursts its banks in one region, production schedules change in factories thousands of kilometres away. When water runs short in one country, the consequences reach other societies, affecting their economies, migration patterns and security.
Extreme heat is straining cities, agriculture and human health all at once.
The world's message is unmistakable: each crisis makes the others worse.
Climate shapes our food supply. Food influences migration. Energy shapes the economy. Economic fragility affects the ability of societies to withstand shocks.
That is why climate policy today is also development policy. It is food policy. Energy policy. Urban policy. Health policy.
Above all, it is how we protect humanity's future.
That is what has brought us to Antalya. As crises feed off one another, we must make sure our solutions strengthen one another too.
We may come from different places. Our circumstances, resources and priorities may differ. Yet we increasingly share the same climate calendar.
Sharing that calendar means sharing responsibility.
This is Antalya's call: let dialogue grow as divisions deepen. Restore trust where it is under strain. Put resources to work as needs grow. Close the gap between our promises and people's lives.
We want COP31 to deliver on that call as an Implementation COP.
Dear friends,
For centuries, this land has been a crossroads of trade and culture, a place where routes converge and ideas meet.
We now draw on that experience for a new purpose: connecting humanity's needs with the means to meet them.
Some of the distances that divide our world cannot be seen. They separate those able to secure finance from those unable to do so.
They separate those with technology from those who need it. They separate countries able to withstand shocks from societies that remain vulnerable.
Narrowing those distances is one of climate diplomacy's greatest responsibilities.
Türkiye has long served as a bridge. We are ready to take on that responsibility again. Our aim is to find common ground that reflects the expectations of North and South, of developed and developing countries.
Together with Australia, we are ready to ensure the Pacific is heard and to help find solutions to the challenges facing vulnerable countries.
We know that delay carries one of the heaviest costs in climate action.
Postpone an investment in resilience today, and tomorrow we may face the cost of a disaster. Fail to deliver adaptation finance today, and tomorrow's humanitarian crisis may be worse. The costs we will face in the future must therefore inform the decisions we take now. The 1.5°C goal remains our guide. We will be frank about what the science tells us. And we will bring the voices of the most vulnerable countries and communities to the centre of our agenda.
The decisions we take in Antalya will only truly come to life when they leave these halls.
From here, I appeal to countries, peoples and young people everywhere:
Let us make Antalya the starting point of a historic partnership.
Let our promises deliver results. Let our decisions unlock investment. Let our knowledge be put to work.
Our decisions must take shape in a city's infrastructure, on a farmer's land and along a factory's production line. Families must feel their impact in lower energy bills.
A decision proves its worth when it makes a difference to someone's life.
Dear friends,
Three principles guide our COP31 Presidency:
Dialogue. Consensus. Action.
We begin by listening to each other. We then build on what we share. And we turn that shared resolve into action on the ground. The world already has knowledge, technology, capital, science and human talent. Our task is to bring them to the people and places that need them, at the moment they are needed.
The last mile of climate action may lead to a field where a farmer watches the soil dry out. To the shores of a small island state facing rising seas. Or to a city street struggling with extreme heat.
Success begins when our decisions reach that last mile.
This is why Zero Waste matters to us. Led by First Lady Emine Erdoğan, the Zero Waste Movement makes conserving resources, cutting waste, improving efficiency and taking responsibility part of everyday life. We see children and young people as the strongest force driving this change. The habits we form today become tomorrow's culture. We bring the same thinking to the energy transition.
Under our 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge, we aim to raise electricity's share of final energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035.
This transition brings together renewable energy, strong grids, storage capacity, energy efficiency, clean transport and green industry. Each supports the others. We want people to feel the results of climate talks in daily life: in buildings that use less energy, in clean public transport, in energy they can afford and in new jobs.
All this calls for a strong financial architecture. Alongside finance, we need another kind of infrastructure: trust.
Trust, too, is infrastructure for climate action.
For a country, trust means seeing its commitments bear fruit. Being able to access the resources it needs. Receiving promised finance on time. And having confidence that decisions will be put into practice.
That is the unseen foundation on which global cooperation rests.
In Baku, countries agreed on a climate finance target for developing countries: at least 300 billion dollars a year by 2035. They also called for public and private finance to increase to at least 1.3 trillion dollars a year.
Now our promises must be backed by capital. That capital must fund investment. And that investment must deliver results. A map of the world's needs today shows us one picture.
A map of its capital, technology, knowledge and expertise shows us another.
We want those maps to align. We will connect investors with projects that need funding. We will connect countries that need technology with those able to provide solutions. And we will match local needs with global capacity.
That is what the Climate Implementation Bridge is designed to do. We will put resources where they are needed, and responsibility where the capacity to act exists.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We want the legacy of Antalya to be a culture of working together, not a list of decisions.
Countries listening to each other. Institutions trusting one another. Scientists sharing what they know. Entrepreneurs creating solutions. Businesses accepting responsibility. Financial institutions putting their resources to work.
In Belém, Brazil shared the spirit of mutirão with us. A powerful expression of that same spirit has been part of our culture for centuries:
İmece. It means everyone doing their part when the task is too great for one person alone. It means sharing hope as well as sharing the burden.
That is the spirit our world needs now.
Every country has knowledge to contribute. Every society has experience. Every generation has energy. Every institution has capacity. We need them all.
Years from now, we want Antalya to be remembered above all for the work that began here, more than for the words spoken here.
Let them remember the investments that got under way. The technologies that crossed borders. The cities that became more resilient. The farmer who was able to keep farming. The child who could face the future with greater confidence.
Let Antalya leave a legacy greater than our words.
Let Antalya narrow the distances we cannot see.
Let it connect needs with the means to meet them.
Let it replace delay with action.
Let it bring climate action into people's lives.
Guided by the spirit of imece,
let us open the way together:
from dialogue to consensus,
from consensus to action,
from action to implementation,
and from implementation to people's lives.
This is the strongest message we can send from here today:
If we are to share a future, we must share the responsibility for it.
I am deeply grateful to our President, His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and to First Lady Emine Erdoğan for their strong support for this process. I also extend my sincere thanks to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and the Climate Change Secretariat. My thanks also go to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Government of Australia; my dear friend Chris Bowen; our teams; the people of Antalya; and our volunteers. You all have my sincere thanks and respect.
Değerli Meslektaşlarım Andre ve Chris, İcra Sekreteri Simon, Değerli Delegeler, Hanımefendiler, Beyefendiler,
Hepinizi saygıyla selamlıyor, Antalya'ya, Türkiye'ye hoş geldiniz diyorum.
Değerli Dostlar,
Bugün Antalya'da buluşurken önce içinde yaşadığımız dünyanın fotoğrafına birlikte bakalım. Karşımızda hızla değişen, aynı anda birçok sınamayla mücadele eden bir dünya var.
Savaşların ve jeopolitik gerilimlerin sürdüğü; ticaret yollarının, enerji hatlarının ve tedarik zincirlerinin yeniden şekillendiği bir dünya…
Ekonomik belirsizliklerin, borç yükünün ve hayat pahalılığının milyonlarca insanın gündelik hayatına dokunduğu; yüz milyonlarca insanın gıdaya erişmekte zorlandığı bir dünya…
Teknolojinin ve yapay zekânın baş döndürücü hızla ilerlediği; buna karşılık sermayeye, bilgiye ve teknolojiye erişimde büyük mesafelerin sürdüğü bir dünya… Ve bütün bunların üzerinde; daha sıcak, daha kırılgan, afetlere daha açık bir dünya. Artık dünyanın farklı coğrafyaları aynı iklim takviminde buluşuyor. Bir yerde başlayan kuraklığın tarihi, başka bir yerde sofraya yazılıyor.
Bir bölgede taşan nehir, binlerce kilometre ötede fabrikaların üretim takvimini değiştiriyor. Bir ülkede azalan su, başka toplumların ekonomisine, göç hareketlerine ve güvenliğine kadar uzanan sonuçlar doğuruyor.
Aşırı sıcaklar şehirleri, tarımı ve insan sağlığını aynı anda zorluyor.
Dünya bize çok açık bir şey söylüyor: Krizler birbirini büyütüyor.
İklim gıdayı, gıda göçü, enerji ekonomiyi, ekonomik kırılganlık toplumların direnç kapasitesini etkiliyor.
Bu yüzden bugünün dünyasında iklim politikası aynı zamanda kalkınma politikasıdır. Gıda politikasıdır. Enerji politikasıdır. Şehir politikasıdır. Sağlık politikasıdır.
Ve her şeyden önce, insanın geleceğini koruma politikasıdır.
Tam da bu nedenle Antalya'dayız. Krizlerin birbirini büyüttüğü bir çağda, çözümleri birbirini güçlendirecek şekilde kurmak için buradayız.
Coğrafyalarımız farklı olabilir. Şartlarımız, imkânlarımız ve önceliklerimiz farklı olabilir. Fakat dünyanın iklim takvimi ortaklaşıyor.
Ortak bir takvim, ortak bir sorumluluk getiriyor.
İşte Antalya'nın çağrısı budur: Ayrışmanın arttığı bir dönemde diyaloğu büyütmek, güvenin sınandığı bir dönemde güveni yeniden kurmak, ihtiyacın büyüdüğü bir dönemde imkânları harekete geçirmek, verilen sözlerle insanların hayatı arasındaki mesafeyi kapatmak.
COP31'i bunun için bir Uygulama COP'u yapmak istiyoruz.
Değerli Dostlar,
Bu topraklar yüzyıllar boyunca yolların kesiştiği, fikirlerin karşılaştığı, ticaretin ve kültürlerin birbirine dokunduğu bir coğrafya oldu.
Bugün bu tarihî yeteneği yeni bir alana taşıyoruz: İnsanlığın ihtiyaçlarıyla imkânlarını buluşturmaya.
Çünkü dünyada görünmeyen mesafeler var. Finansmana erişenlerle erişemeyenler arasında bir mesafe var.
Teknolojiye sahip olanlarla ona ihtiyaç duyanlar arasında bir mesafe var. Direnç kapasitesi güçlü ülkelerle kırılgan toplumlar arasında bir mesafe var.
İklim diplomasisinin büyük görevi, bu mesafeleri azaltmaktır.
Türkiye tarih boyunca bir köprü olmuştur. Şimdi de Kuzey ile Güney'in, gelişmiş ülkeler ile gelişmekte olan ülkelerin beklentilerini ortak zeminde buluşturmak için sorumluluk üstlenmeye hazırdır.
Avustralya ile birlikte Pasifik'in sesini, kırılgan ülkelerin derdine çözüm bulmaya hazırdır.
Biliyoruz ki; iklim eyleminin en pahalı faturalarından biri gecikmedir.
Bugün ertelenen dirençlilik yatırımı yarının afet maliyetine dönüşebilir. Bugün ulaşmayan uyum finansmanı yarının insani krizini büyütebilir. Bu yüzden geleceğin maliyetini bugünün kararlarına taşımak zorundayız. 1,5 derece hedefi yolumuzu göstermeye devam ediyor. Bilimin ortaya koyduğu gerçekleri açıkça konuşacağız. En kırılgan ülkelerin ve toplulukların sesini gündemimizin merkezine taşıyacağız.
Ve Antalya'da aldığımız kararların gerçek ömrü, bu salonlardan çıktıkları anda başlayacak.
Buradan bütün ülkelere, halklara ve gençlere çağrıda bulunuyorum:
Gelin, tarihi bir iş birliğini Antalya'da birlikte kuralım.
Sözleri sonuçlara dönüştürelim. Kararları yatırıma dönüştürelim. Bilgiyi harekete geçirelim.
Bir karar bir şehrin altyapısında yaşamalı. Bir çiftçinin toprağında yaşamalı. Bir fabrikanın üretim hattında yaşamalı. Bir ailenin enerji faturasındaki iyileşmede karşılık bulmalı.
Çünkü bir kararın gerçek değeri, insan hayatına dokunduğu anda ortaya çıkar.
Değerli Dostlar
COP31 Başkanlığı yaklaşımımızın merkezinde üç kavram var:
Diyalog. Uzlaşı. Aksiyon.
Önce birbirimizi dinleyeceğiz. Sonra ortak zemini büyüteceğiz. Ardından o ortak iradeyi sahaya taşıyacağız. Dünyada bilgi var. Teknoloji var. Sermaye var. Bilim var. İnsan kaynağı var. Mesele, bunların doğru zamanda, doğru yere, doğru insana ulaşmasıdır.
İklim eyleminin son kilometresi bazen kuruyan toprağına bakan bir çiftçinin tarlasıdır. Bazen yükselen denize bakan küçük bir ada devletinin kıyısıdır. Bazen aşırı sıcaklarla mücadele eden bir şehrin sokağıdır.
Başarı, kararın bu son kilometreye ulaştığı yerde başlar.
Sıfır Atık anlayışını bu nedenle önemsiyoruz. Sayın Emine Erdoğan Hanımefendi'nin öncülüğündeki Sıfır Atık Hareketi; kaynaklara sahip çıkmayı, israfı azaltmayı, verimliliği artırmayı ve sorumluluğu günlük hayatın parçası hâline getiriyor. Çocuklarımızı ve gençlerimizi bu dönüşümün en güçlü taşıyıcıları olarak görüyoruz. Çünkü bugün kazanılan bir alışkanlık, yarının kültürüne dönüşür.Aynı yaklaşımı enerji dönüşümüne taşıyoruz.
35'e 35 Küresel Elektrifikasyon Taahhüdümüzle 2035 yılına kadar nihai enerji tüketiminde elektriğin payını yüzde 35'e çıkarma hedefini ortaya koyduk.
Yenilenebilir enerji, güçlü şebekeler, depolama kapasitesi, enerji verimliliği, temiz ulaşım ve yeşil sanayi bu dönüşümün birbirini tamamlayan parçalarıdır. İklim görüşmelerinin sonucunu insanların günlük hayatında; daha verimli binalarda, temiz toplu taşımada, uygun maliyetli enerjide, yeni iş imkânlarında görmek istiyoruz.
Tabii bütün bunlar güçlü bir finansman mimarisi gerektiriyor. Fakat finansmanın yanında başka bir altyapıya daha ihtiyacımız var: Güven.
Çünkü güven de bir iklim altyapısıdır.
Bir ülkenin verdiği sözün karşılığını görmesi, ihtiyaç duyduğu kaynağa erişmesi, taahhüt edilen finansmanın zamanında ulaşması ve alınan kararların hayata geçeceğine inanması…
Küresel iş birliğinin görünmeyen altyapısı budur.
Bakü'de gelişmekte olan ülkeler için 2035 yılına kadar yıllık en az 300 milyar dolarlık iklim finansmanı hedefi üzerinde uzlaşıldı. Kamu ve özel kaynakların yıllık en az 1,3 trilyon dolara çıkarılması için çağrı yapıldı.
Şimdi sözün sermayeye, sermayenin yatırıma, yatırımın sonuca dönüşme zamanıdır. Bugün dünyanın ihtiyaç haritasına baktığımızda bir tablo görüyoruz.
Sermaye, teknoloji, bilgi ve uzmanlık haritasına baktığımızda başka bir tablo görüyoruz.
Biz bu iki haritayı üst üste getirmek istiyoruz. Finansman arayan projeyle yatırımcıyı… Teknolojiye ihtiyaç duyan ülkeyle çözüm sahibini… Yerel ihtiyaçla küresel kapasiteyi buluşturacağız.
İklim Uygulama Köprüsü'nün amacı budur. İhtiyacın olduğu yere imkânı, imkânın olduğu yere sorumluluğu taşıyacağız.
Hanımefendiler, Beyefendiler,
Antalya'dan bir kararlar listesi bırakmak istemiyoruz. Bir çalışma kültürü bırakmak istiyoruz.
Birbirini dinleyen ülkeler… Birbirine güvenen kurumlar… Bilgisini paylaşan bilim insanları… Çözüm geliştiren girişimciler… Sorumluluk üstlenen şirketler… Kaynaklarını harekete geçiren finans kuruluşları…
Belém'de Brezilya bize mutirão ruhunu anlattı. Bizim kültürümüzde bunun yüzyıllardır yaşayan güçlü bir karşılığı var:
İmece. İmece, bir insanın gücünün yetmediği yerde herkesin elini taşın altına koymasıdır. İmece, yükü paylaşmak kadar umudu da paylaşmaktır.
Bugün dünyanın ihtiyacı tam olarak budur.
Her ülkenin bilgisine, her toplumun deneyimine, her kuşağın enerjisine, her kurumun kapasitesine ihtiyacımız var.
Ve istiyoruz ki yıllar sonra Antalya hatırlandığında burada hangi cümlelerin kurulduğundan önce hangi işlerin başladığı konuşulsun.
Hangi yatırımların harekete geçtiği… Hangi teknolojilerin sınırları aştığı… Hangi şehirlerin direnç kazandığı… Hangi çiftçinin üretimine devam edebildiği… Hangi çocuğun geleceğe daha güvenle baktığı hatırlansın.
Antalya'nın mirası sözlerimizden büyük olsun.
Görünmeyen mesafeleri azaltan bir Antalya…
İhtiyaçla imkânı buluşturan bir Antalya…
Gecikmenin yerine harekete geçmeyi koyan bir Antalya…
İklim eylemini insanın hayatına ulaştıran bir Antalya.
İmece ruhuyla;
Diyalogdan uzlaşıya,
Uzlaşıdan aksiyona,
Aksiyondan uygulamaya,
Uygulamadan insanın hayatına uzanan yolu hep birlikte açalım.
Çünkü bugün burada vereceğimiz en güçlü mesaj şudur:
Dünya ortak bir geleceği paylaşacaksa, o geleceğin sorumluluğunu da birlikte taşıyacaktır.
Ben bu sürece güçlü destek veren Cumhurbaşkanımız Sayın Recep Tayyip Erdoğan'a, Sayın Emine Erdoğan Hanımefendi'ye şükranlarımı sunuyorum. BM Genel Sekreteri Antonyo Guteres başta olmak üzere; İcra Direktörü Simon Still'e, İklim Sekretaryasına, Başbakan Anthony Albanese'ye ve Avustralya Hükûmetine; değerli dostum Chris Bowen'a, ekiplerimize, Antalya halkına, gönüllülerimize çok teşekkür ediyorum. Hepinizi saygıyla selamlıyorum.
COP31 President of Negotiations, Chris Bowen
COP31 Opening Statement
Excellencies, delegates and friends.
Australia and Türkiye have founded a special and constructive partnership for the delivery of COP31.
I acknowledge my dear friend, Murat Kurum the COP31 President. I think I speak for all of us when I say the Government and people of Türkiye and Antalya have excelled themselves when it comes to preparing for COP31.
The eyes of the world are on us and Türkiye has given us the very best platform.
As we have done all year, we repeat our request to all parties to come to COP31 in the same spirit of cooperation, respect, determination.
And focus on the real issues that matter the most.
I acknowledge the COP30 President, Andre Corea Do Lago of Brazil, the UNFCCC Secretariat, and Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell.
I also want to acknowledge all Indigenous Peoples joining us here in Antalya from around the world, for their leadership in climate action.
Drawing on their unique relationship with lands, skies and waters they have had stewardship of over the millennia.
I also acknowledge our Pacific family as close partners and hosts of the recent Pre-COP in Fiji and Tuvalu - representing in a very real way those who have done the least to cause climate change, but have the most at stake.
Friends, it has been a long road to reach this place and be here with you all today.
This year, we have witnessed again the devastating consequences of climate change - and welcomed the inspiring solutions and responses.
The latest science tells us that we will overshoot 1.5 degrees.
But we can still return if we work together and act with urgency, solidarity and resolve.
That is our challenge here in the next fortnight.
To come together to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead of us.
We saw the spirit of Talanoa, of dialogue and cooperation, at the Pacific Pre-COP.
We welcomed delegates from right across the globe.
From India, Nepal, Brazil and the EU.
From Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and the island nations of the Caribbean.
The message from the world that came out of Fiji and Tuvalu was clear:
Keep 1.5 degrees within reach.
Speed up climate action.
Make finance easier to access and deliver on our commitments.
Strengthen the resilience of our communities.
Our economies and our ocean.
And ensure no country faces the impacts of climate change alone.
I know that the same spirit of determination is present here with us in Antalya.
We meet at a moment of consequence.
Whether it be glacial collapse in Nepal, heat deaths in Europe, or an intensifying El Niño.
Climate change is here.
It is not a forecast. It is not a prediction.
It is the lived reality for billions of people.
Its' impacts are growing more frequent and intense.
Every fraction of a degree, and every delay, increases the risks to lives, communities, economic growth and the environment.
Raising the cost of adaptation, deepening future losses and making the task ahead harder.
While the challenge is growing, so is our response.
Before Paris, the world was heading for warming approaching 4 degrees.
Today, projections are closer to 2.6 degrees.
Since 2015, global renewable electricity generation has almost doubled.
Around US$2.2 trillion was invested in clean energy last year.
Nearly twice the amount flowing to fossil fuels.
More than 160 countries have submitted updated NDCs.
More than 130 have now submitted their first BTRs.
This should give us confidence.
We are seeing our efforts turn into action on the ground.
The clean energy transition is not only reducing emissions.
It is reshaping investment, industry and employment across the global economy.
But we must move faster.
We have the tools.
The technologies we need are proven, commercial and scalable.
What we need is to speed up deployment.
This year, I have talked to Parties from around the world on their priorities and key ambitions for COP31.
And for those that I haven't yet met personally - my door is open.
One of the strongest messages I've heard is this:
There is enormous momentum on electrification.
Electricity supplies only around one-fifth of global final energy consumption.
Much of the remainder still comes from burning fossil fuels in transport, buildings and industry.
Accelerating electrification, powered by clean and resilient energy systems, is key to setting this right.
We need to shift electricity from a fifth to a third of global energy consumption.
Not only is this good for our planet. It strengthens nations' energy security.
It reduces emissions and helps us better shield households from volatile bills and price shocks.
This is why the Action Agenda goal of a global effort to increase electricity's share of final energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035 is so important
Delivering on that ambition requires investment in renewable energy, modern grids, energy storage, efficiency and skills.
Of course, countries will always take pathways that best suit them.
And each country will pursue electrification in their own way.
Just as clearly, I've heard that we need to unlock finance.
This includes both scaling up climate finance, but also making it easier to access.
Too many countries with credible energy transition and adaptation plans can't access finance at the speed, scale or terms required to put those plans into action.
The countries that need climate finance the most, are getting it the least.
That's why at the Pacific Pre-COP, Australia launched the Access to Finance Statement and Action Plan for SIDS and LDCs focused on a practical objective:
Making access to finance faster and simpler.
We must strengthen project pipelines.
Mobilise public and private investment together.
And ensure climate finance reaches countries and communities when they need it.
Finance must be disbursed faster.
More simply.
And more fairly.
We have made our commitments.
Now we must deliver on them.
Parties have demonstrated their ambition, and ensuring timely, accessible and scaled up climate finance is critical to climate action.
Delivering on the commitments we've made builds trust.
Trust in the process, trust from communities that we are collectively working for, and for the future
And trust between us as parties.
Through this process we have shown we can deliver new and innovative streams of finance.
Finance is part of the engine that drives our efforts and we will not let it falter here.
We must also address and strengthen adaptation and resilience.
Climate impacts are already disrupting lives, economies and development.
Countries need stronger infrastructure, stronger communities, stronger early-warning systems and stronger institutions.
We must help countries prepare for, withstand and recover from climate impacts.
And we must ensure that countries most exposed to climate risk have access to the partnerships, support and finance required to build resilience.
Both before and whenever disaster strikes.
More broadly, success in Antalya means making progress across every front.
This year, there are over 160 items and 60 substantive negotiations mandates on our agenda.
Each is an opportunity to make progress and advance climate action.
This includes:
- Operationalising the Just Transition Mechanism to provide practical support for countries.
- Strengthening the Mitigation Work Program, speeding up real world implementation, cooperation and investment.
- Taking forward the Global Goal on Adaptation by establishing the technical taskforce.
- Giving confidence to climate finance delivery and investment flows, including through improving access.
- Taking forward our work in the Climate Finance Work Program.
- Finalising the transition to the Adaptation Fund.
- Following up on the tripling of adaptation finance, and enhancing action and cooperation under Article 2.1c.
And importantly, we need to keep science central to our work.
We must make progress across all these mandates, as well as a range of other important mandates due for decision this year.
Friends, after extensive consultations with Parties throughout this year, Minister Kurum and I have agreed to take forward a Presidency-initiated, Party-driven decision for COP31.
This decision will be led by the Presidencies, but it must be owned and driven by the Parties.
Ensuring it respects national circumstances and responds to the global moment.
We will build it together, from the ground up.
We have spoken clearly about our intentions at the Pacific Pre-COP and in virtual consultations since.
Because transparency, consultation and inclusion remain central to our approach.
There will be no surprises.
This is not about duplicating negotiations.
It will not be a lengthy political declaration.
But a focused, practical and concrete response to the challenges and opportunities before us.
A decision that reflects the urgency of the climate challenge and the enormous opportunities created by the global transition.
One that gives confidence to governments, investors, businesses and communities that the world is moving faster and working together.
Such an outcome could:
Recognise the progress we have made together.
Reflect on the real world challenges that we face, and opportunities before us as well.
Accelerate the high-impact, concrete solutions that can help keep 1.5 degrees within reach, and strengthen resilience, means of implementation and international cooperation.
We can send a message to the world:
That despite our challenges, the world is committed to implementing our Paris goals and moving faster.
We know there will be a difference of views - on the value of the decision, on its elements, on how far we go.
But our job is to work to close those differences and provide the most ambitious, most outcome-orientated decision that consensus will allow.
Australia is proud to serve in the role of President of Negotiations in our partnership with Türkiye.
This partnership has been built on trust, solidarity and a shared resolve to go further and faster.
Throughout the year, we have asked Parties to come to Antalya with the same spirit of cooperation.
To build confidence for governments to act.
For businesses to invest.
For communities to plan for a safer and more prosperous future.
No country can achieve this alone.
But together we can and must.
Friends, let's show the world that multilateralism works.
Let's show the world that we are equal to the challenge.
Let's join in a spirit of cooperation and respect.
Let's show future generations that this generation was equal to the moment, equal to the challenge.
Let's rise to this moment together.
Thank you.
