COP should put itself out of business
In the decade since the Paris Agreement, the annual round of UN climate summits has seemed like a parallel universe.
The annual United Nations climate summit, known as COP31, is currently underway in Antalya, Türkiye. Despite the idealism and complex jargon often associated with these negotiations, many participants feel the conference is increasingly out of touch with real-world issues. Tim, a special climate envoy from Kenya, expressed frustration with the contrast between the summit's goals and the realities of the global economy.
While some activists still desire an immediate shutdown of the oil and gas industry, the facts show fossil fuel companies continue to make record-breaking profits, indicating the world still relies heavily on these resources. The Iran war and energy security concerns have led to accelerated adoption of renewables in some countries, but overall, there are signs of backsliding on the goal set at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels.
The conference itself has no legally binding force on countries, and its primary purpose may not be to achieve tangible results but rather to send political signals that shape economic decisions around energy investments. Experts suggest COP may be on the brink of becoming obsolete as clean energy projects prove more economically viable.
However, clean energy adoption is already driving a transition away from fossil fuels, even if it doesn't occur at the pace activists prefer. The goal for this COP is to encourage this trend by having countries agree on a target to raise the share of global energy demand powered by electricity from 23% to 35% by 2035.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
