As geopolitical tensions intensify, trade wars resurface, and multilateralism comes under strain, climate change is increasingly emerging as both a stress test and a solution for the international system. That was the central message delivered at a high-level press conference in Istanbul by the COP31 President-Designate ahead of the UN climate summit scheduled to take place in Antalya.
Rather than framing climate action as an environmental obligation alone, the remarks positioned it as a strategic response to global instability—a way to restore cooperation, protect economies, and deliver tangible benefits to citizens in a fractured world.
A World in Disorder, a Climate Agenda Under Pressure
The upcoming COP31 will unfold against a backdrop of extraordinary uncertainty. According to the President-Designate, the world is entering a phase defined by insecurity, coercive power politics, and weakening trust in international cooperation.
Yet climate change, often portrayed as a victim of geopolitics, was instead presented as an antidote to global disorder.
Climate action, the argument goes, offers something rare in today’s politics: a policy agenda that simultaneously delivers energy security, economic opportunity, public health gains, and geopolitical stability.
This reframing marks a notable shift—from climate negotiations as abstract diplomacy to climate implementation as a core pillar of national and global security.
Three Eras of Climate Action — and Why the Third Matters Most
Global climate efforts can be understood in three distinct phases:
The Era of Denial and Delay
In the early years, scientific evidence accumulated, but political responses lagged as governments argued over the scale and urgency of the problem.
The Era of Commitment
This phase culminated in the Paris Agreement, which fundamentally altered the trajectory of global climate policy. While it did not solve the crisis, it proved that coordinated international action was possible.
Over the past decade, the results have been measurable:
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Clean energy investment increased tenfold, exceeding $2 trillion annually
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Renewables overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity
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For the first time, global emissions are beginning to edge downward
The Era of Implementation
According to the COP31 vision, the world is now entering a third and decisive phase: delivery at scale.
This is no longer about setting distant targets, but about meeting — and exceeding — existing commitments by 2030.
From Targets to Action: What the Implementation Era Demands
The implementation agenda outlined for COP31 focuses on concrete, measurable outcomes:
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Doubling global energy efficiency by 2030
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Tripling renewable energy capacity worldwide
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Transitioning away from fossil fuels in a just and orderly manner
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Strengthening climate resilience for vulnerable populations
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Scaling up climate finance, especially for developing economies
These goals are not framed as aspirational ideals but as economic and security necessities, particularly as climate impacts increasingly disrupt food supplies, energy systems, and global trade.
Climate Finance: The Decisive Battleground
One of the most politically sensitive issues ahead of COP31 is finance.
At COP29, countries agreed to triple climate finance for developing nations from $100 billion to $300 billion annually, alongside a longer-term roadmap toward $1.3 trillion per year.
While many developing countries argue this still falls short of actual needs, the Istanbul remarks emphasized that:
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Scaling finance is now a structural priority
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Multilateral Development Banks must play a central role
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Lowering the cost of capital is essential for equitable climate action
In the implementation era, climate finance is no longer charity—it is economic infrastructure investment.
Renewables vs Fossil Fuels: The Economics Are Decided
Responding to questions about renewed coal use and the US withdrawal from climate commitments, the message from UN climate leadership was unambiguous:
Renewables are cheaper than coal. The economics make no sense otherwise.
In 2025 alone:
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$2 trillion flowed into renewable energy
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Fossil fuel investment lagged at roughly half that level
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Clean energy emerged as the fastest route to energy sovereignty
From a market perspective, countries resisting the transition risk ceding jobs, innovation, and long-term competitiveness to rivals who embrace it.
Security Redefined: Why Climate Action Is Now Mission-Critical
A striking theme of the Istanbul press conference was the redefinition of “security.”
Traditional security frameworks, focused narrowly on military power and borders, fail to account for climate-driven risks such as:
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Food shortages
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Forced displacement
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Inflation driven by climate shocks
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Resource conflicts
Climate action, by contrast, directly addresses the daily concerns of citizens:
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Lower energy bills
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Cleaner air and better health
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Job creation
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Reliable access to electricity for the 700 million people still living without it
In this framing, climate cooperation becomes a stabilising force, not a luxury.
Türkiye and COP31: A Diplomatic Crossroads
Hosting COP31 in Türkiye carries symbolic and strategic weight. Positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Türkiye is portrayed as a venue where diverse political perspectives can converge around shared climate interests.
UN climate leadership stressed that a country’s fossil fuel profile does not determine the quality of COP outcomes—pointing to recent summits hosted by major producers that delivered landmark decisions on loss and damage, fossil fuel transition, and climate finance.
The expectation for Antalya is clear: a COP that proves the implementation era is real.
Climate Cooperation in a Fractured World
As global politics grow more polarised, climate change is emerging as one of the few remaining domains where collective self-interest still aligns with cooperation.
COP31 is being framed not as another negotiating forum, but as a test of whether the world can:
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Translate commitments into delivery
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Turn climate action into economic opportunity
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Use cooperation as a counterweight to global instability
In an age of disorder, the climate agenda is no longer peripheral. It is becoming central to prosperity, security, and political credibility—and COP31 may determine whether the world is ready to act accordingly.
