Antalya, Turkiye, is set to host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) from tomorrow until Nov 20, bringing together government delegations, experts and representatives of international institutions and environmental organisations, as countries around the world grapple with burgeoning challenges stemming from rising temperatures, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, mounting climate adaptation costs and tensions gripping global energy markets.
The ability of countries to finance climate adaptation and turn plans and strategies into concrete projects that protect people, the economy and natural resources is emerging as a foremost item on the conference agenda. As droughts, rising temperatures and floods become increasingly widespread, the gap is widening between what countries need to address these implications and the international financing they’re able to secure.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report 2026, developing countries will need approximately $305bn annually by 2035 to finance climate adaptation measures, while international public finance flows earmarked for this purpose stood at just $28.2bn to $31.7bn in 2024.
The adaptation gap has direct economic and developmental fallout for Turkiye, where drought and declining water resources are placing the agricultural sector under mounting pressure. Cities, meanwhile, need substantial investments to develop water supply and sanitation networks and bolster their capacity to withstand heat waves, floods and extreme climate events. The issue isn’t merely about financing environmental projects; it’s also about safeguarding food and water security, reducing economic losses and ensuring the continuity of industrial and agricultural activity.
Watershed moment
Turkiye’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that his country looks forward to the Antalya climate summit serving as a watershed moment in moving from climate pledges and commitments to actual implementation, through practical steps that can be financed and put into action, particularly in investment in clean energy and the development of energy infrastructure.
The world is going through an era marked by major challenges in the global energy sector, whether due to sharp fluctuations in energy prices, geopolitical tensions or disruptions affecting global supply chains, highlighted Bayraktar. He remarked that recent developments have proved that energy security is no longer merely an economic issue but has become an integral part of national security and the political and economic stability of countries.
The transition to clean energy mustn’t come at the expense of security of supply or the ability to provide energy at affordable prices for citizens and the industrial sector, Bayraktar argued, explaining that the real challenge lies in striking a balance between three key objectives: ensuring energy security, maintaining the competitiveness of the economy and reducing carbon emissions.
Bayraktar went on to further illustrate that his country had announced its vision for the energy sector through 2040, placing the transition to electricity at the forefront of its priorities. The vision, he noted, targets renewable energy sources accounting for around 77% of total installed electricity generation capacity by that year, pointing out that achieving this goal depends not only on increasing electricity generation from solar and wind power, but also requires substantial investments in transmission and distribution networks, energy storage technologies, improving energy efficiency and developing the infrastructure required to accommodate the growing output of renewable energy.
He said these steps are part of Turkiye’s strategic objective of achieving net-zero emissions by 2053, in line with the vision announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This conference holds particular significance for climate finance, Bayraktar suggested, given that countries can’t achieve the green transition simply by announcing targets. Rather, they need financial resources, investments, advanced technology and international partnerships.
He stressed that the gathering represents a platform for translating international commitments into tangible projects, helping accelerate investment in clean energy and strengthen cooperation between developed and developing countries.
Countries most exposed to the fallout from climate change aren’t necessarily those best equipped to shoulder the costs of addressing it, as figures on drought and dwindling water resources lay bare the challenges of financing and implementing climate plans, Turkish economist and climate finance specialist Deniz Istikbal told QNA.
He added that concessional financing, long-term investments and public-private partnerships are becoming increasingly important, alongside the need to facilitate developing countries’ access to international climate funds and institutions.
As for water and agriculture, the Turkish economist said the challenges are becoming quite pressing, particularly as mounting pressure on water resources and declining efficiency in some traditional irrigation systems exacerbate the problem.
He pointed out that investing in modern irrigation technologies, water reuse, improved water-resource management and the development of drought-resistant crops is no longer a development option that can be put off down the road, but a sine qua non for protecting agricultural production and bolstering food security.
He stressed that Turkiye’s hosting of COP31 carries significance that goes substantially beyond its diplomatic and environmental dimensions, placing financing and implementation at the heart of international debate.
The challenge facing the conference, he outlined, isn’t simply to produce new pledges, but to identify substantive mechanisms that ensure funding reaches the projects most in need of it, thus turning climate targets into measurable results on the ground. The conference is expected to serve as an important milestone in reviewing the progress made thus far in implementing international climate commitments, exploring ways to accelerate the transition to clean energy sources and strengthening countries’ ability to contend with the effects of global warming.
The conference sessions will take place at the Antalya Expo Center in the Turkish city of Antalya, under an organizational arrangement based on sharing responsibilities between Turkiye and Australia. Turkiye will host and preside over the conference, under the leadership of Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, while Chris Bowen, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, will preside over the official negotiations.
The arrangement grew out of a diplomatic settlement between the two countries over hosting the conference, allowing Turkiye to manage its general proceedings while Australia leads the negotiating process among participating countries.
The World Leaders’ Summit is scheduled for Nov 11 and 12 as part of the high-level political events accompanying the conference. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions will top the agenda, amid international calls to accelerate the implementation of commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Climate finance
Participating delegations are expected to discuss ways to expand the use of solar and wind power, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and strengthen investments in electricity grids and low-emissions technologies. These discussions take on added significance amid growing global energy demand and the need to strike a balance between security of supply, electricity costs and environmental objectives.
Climate finance is one of the foremost issues on the negotiating table and a major point of contention between industrialised and developing countries. Developing nations are calling for greater financial resources to help them develop clean-energy projects, protect infrastructure and contend with the fallout from floods, drought and rising sea levels.
Discussions are also continuing over mechanisms to finance loss and damage caused by climate change, particularly in countries facing substantial risks despite their relatively limited contribution to historical emissions.
The scale of financial commitments and the mechanisms for implementing them will be among the issues determining how much progress can be made in the negotiations.
The conference also holds particular significance for the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean, where countries face mounting challenges linked to rising
temperatures, water scarcity and declining rainfall in some areas.
These changes are affecting agriculture, water, health and energy sectors, substantially increasing the need for long-term investments in infrastructure and climate adaptation. They also raise questions about the region’s ability to expand renewable energy use, improve water-resource management and protect agricultural areas from drought and extreme heat waves.
The Antalya conference seeks to focus on turning previous climate commitments into practical policies and measures, amid continued criticism of the gap
between announced international targets and actual implementation rates. These conferences began in Berlin in 1995 and have since been held annually, bringing together representatives of countries and governments, along with international organizations, civil society institutions and the private sector.
Overall, they serve as a platform for negotiations and decision-making on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate finance, adaptation to the effects of climate change and assisting the countries most severely affected.