What is COP? Why does it matter?

Ryan Bachoo

Lead Editor – Newsgathering

[email protected]

For the last five years, Guardian Media has sent journalists to the United Nations Climate Change Conference – known as the Conference of Parties. Since then, the stakes have only gotten higher as the world continues to warm.

This year, the global climate conversation moves to Antalya, Türkiye, where representatives from more than 190 countries will gather from tomorrow for the 31st Conference of the Parties, better known as COP31.

But what exactly is COP31, and why does it matter?

At its simplest, COP is the world’s largest annual climate negotiations, bringing together governments that are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty established in 1992 to coordinate the global response to climate change.

It is where countries negotiate agreements, assess progress on existing commitments and determine how the international community should respond to the climate crisis.

The conferences have produced some of the most significant developments in international climate policy, including the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015. Under that agreement, countries committed to keeping global temperature increases well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.

A decade later, that ambition faces an increasingly difficult test.

The United Nations has warned that the world is on track to exceed the 1.5-degree threshold, even as extreme heat, devastating floods, prolonged droughts and rising sea levels intensify the consequences of a warming planet.

Against that backdrop, COP31 is being framed as a conference of implementation and acceleration. The challenge is no longer simply securing promises from governments, but ensuring those promises translate into measurable action.

What is at stake?

One of the biggest issues will be climate finance.

Developing countries, particularly small island developing states like Trinidad and Tobago, have consistently argued that they cannot shoulder the costs of adapting to climate change while also investing in cleaner economies without adequate international support.

For the Caribbean, this is particularly important. Countries across the region face rising sea levels, coastal erosion, stronger storms, changing rainfall patterns and threats to food and water security. Yet many have limited financial resources and contribute relatively little to the greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming.

The question at COP31 will be whether wealthier nations can deliver the financing needed to help vulnerable countries prepare for climate impacts, recover from disasters and transition towards more sustainable development.

Closely connected to this is adaptation. While reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains essential, communities are already living with the consequences of climate change. Governments must therefore invest in stronger infrastructure, resilient agriculture, improved water management, early warning systems and healthcare that can withstand climate-related pressures.

Another critical issue is the transition away from fossil fuels.

At COP28 in Dubai, countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems. However, translating that commitment into a clear and equitable pathway remains contentious.

For countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, this conversation carries particular significance. The country’s economy has historically depended on oil and natural gas, which remain important sources of export revenue, employment and government income.

The challenge is how to balance energy security and economic development with the need to reduce emissions and diversify energy systems.

COP31 will also examine the concept of a just transition, ensuring that workers, communities and developing economies are not left behind as the global energy system changes. Negotiators will be looking to advance a mechanism agreed at COP30 to support countries navigating this transition.

Why does this COP matter?

Türkiye will host the conference, with its Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum serving as COP31 President. Australia will lead the negotiations through Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, reflecting an unusual arrangement between the two countries.

The presidency has placed emphasis on clean energy, electrification, food security, resilient cities, oceans, waste reduction and greener industrial development.

One proposal is to increase electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035, strengthening the role of renewable energy and electrification in reducing emissions.

The conference also comes at an important moment for the Paris Agreement, which entered into force in November 2016. Countries are under increasing pressure to strengthen their national climate commitments and demonstrate that the agreement is delivering results.

Ultimately, COP31 will not solve the climate crisis in two weeks. Nor will every country leave Antalya satisfied with the outcome.

But its success will be measured by whether governments can move beyond diplomatic declarations and deliver the finance, technology and cooperation required to protect people and economies.

For small island states and developing countries, the stakes are especially high. The decisions made in Türkiye will help shape the resources available to communities already confronting the realities of climate change.

As the world gathers once again, the question is no longer whether the climate crisis is happening. It is whether governments are prepared to act with the urgency it demands.