COP31 Is Here. Will Anyone Finally Say “Fossil Fuels”?
The world’s biggest climate conference kicked off today in Antalya, Turkey, a country known for growing political repression. Under an unusual compromise, Turkey is hosting, but Australia’s government will preside over negotiations among more than 190 nations seeking to address the climate crisis. And for the third year in a row, one problem underscores all […]
COP31 commenced in Antalya, Turkey, a nation infamous for its political suppression. In a peculiar arrangement, Turkey is hosting the conference, while Australia will chair the negotiations involving over 190 countries. For the third consecutive year, the common thread among these discussions is the reluctance to acknowledge "fossil fuels."
For the ensuing two weeks, delegates hailing from across the globe—save for the United States—will deliberate on their advancements under the Paris Agreement, an international treaty signed in 2015. Under this pact, nations pledged to contain global warming below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an ambitious goal of 1.5 degrees.
However, the timing is particularly pressing. An ongoing El Niño season has already shattered temperature records and triggered devastating floods in Nepal, and the UN has warned that we are on track to surpass the 1.5-degree threshold entirely. The atmosphere is charged with urgency and skepticism. As Covering Climate Now reported, "UN climate summits have become all but synonymous with low expectations, long on rhetoric, short on action," despite the overwhelming majority of the world's population—80 to 89 percent—urging their governments to take more substantial measures against the climate crisis.
The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) has been the stage for my entire life, with nostalgic recollections of the 2009 Copenhagen summit and the optimism that followed the Paris Agreement deal. Nevertheless, for nearly three decades, international climate negotiations have shied away from naming the primary culprit of the climate crisis: fossil fuels.
It wasn't until COP28 in Dubai that an agreement was reached, calling for a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. Yet, the deal fell short of specifying how or when the phaseout would occur. Last year was anticipated to be different. Brazil, which heavily relies on fossil fuels, was expected to make a significant contribution.
However, COP30 in Belém failed to generate any new commitments on permanently abandoning oil, gas, and coal. Evaluating the significance of any individual COP in its immediate aftermath is challenging. Copenhagen was deemed a failure for not producing a global treaty to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, but it is now credited with ushering in the system of national pledges at the heart of the Paris Agreement.
While these pledges, though non-binding, have had tangible effects, such as a surge in renewable energy projects and a slowdown in energy demand growth, there is still a long way to go to avert the most catastrophic climate scenarios, assuming all nations actively participate. The absence of US delegates at COP31 is a testament to the growing realization that we must abandon fossil fuels.
Over 60 nations convened in Santa Marta, Colombia, in April to discuss a fossil fuel phaseout outside the formal COP negotiations. Despite this, COP31 is the second year in a row without a US delegation. Nevertheless, other countries have come to the realization that we must break away from fossil fuels, with over 60 nations uniting in April in Santa Marta, Colombia, to discuss a phaseout outside formal COP negotiations.
Written by urgent.news from Mother Jones's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
