This year, COP31 (the 31st Conference of the Parties) takes place from November 9–20 in Antalya, Turkey. Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen is serving as President of Negotiations, making this the first COP co-hosted by two nations.

A More Urgent Starting Point at COP31

COP31 arrives on the heels of a sobering announcement from the UN Environment Programme: there is no longer a chance to keep warming below 1.5°C, and current national plans still point to roughly 2.6°C by 2100.

From the very start, this COP has carried a much higher sense of urgency than past ones. Extreme events this year have underscored why: the Himalayan tragedy, El Niño, and widespread forest fires. The most vulnerable people everywhere pay the highest price, which threatens to deepen existing systems of inequity. We are actively losing money and lives to climate change.

From Signals to Solutions at Conference of the Parties

Traditionally, COPs have sent signals, set targets, and built momentum to steer global markets. This one is different. The main overarching goal of COP31 is to focus on implementation practices and steps instead of creating new processes.

That means a focus on solutions, particularly financing for climate solutions and accelerated implementation, along with stronger signals to markets, politicians, and societies about cutting emissions and reducing climate impact.

Key Priorities to Watch at the 2026 COP
  • Financing climate solutions: turning commitments into funded action.
  • Slashing methane emissions: a priority for cutting emissions.
  • Including developing countries: ensuring those most exposed are part of the solution.
The Wider Backdrop

The geopolitical context matters too. The war in Iran and its fossil fuel fallout, along with inflation, are shaping the economic conditions in which negotiators are working.

The U.S. Is Still in the Room at COP31

Although the US has left the Paris Agreement, it is still participating in other ways. The “America Is All In” coalition has announced it will lead a U.S. delegation and operate an official pavilion at COP31, featuring U.S. state, local, business, academic, and civil society leaders. Learn more about the America Is All In Pavilion at COP31.

The coalition’s goals fall into a few themes: showing that state, local, and business climate action is delivering results (including the new America’s Better Pathway Report); advancing clean energy investment, public-private partnerships, and infrastructure; promoting resilience and adaptation; strengthening international partnerships, including U.S.-Africa investment ties; and keeping climate progress moving through federal political uncertainty. It also hopes to build momentum toward future summits, including COP32 in Ethiopia.

Likely Outcomes of this Year’s COP

Experts expect no landmark treaty like the Paris Agreement or COP28, but several outcomes are possible:

  • Voluntary pledges and side agreements on electrification, methane cuts, and adaptation finance
  • Progress on implementing existing Nationally Determined Contributions and Conference of the Parties’ agreements
  • Signals from coalitions and private sector initiatives, even if the formal COP text is modest

COP31 Is about Delivery Not Just Promises

With 1.5°C out of reach and the human and economic costs mounting, COP31 is being framed as the moment to move from promises to delivery. Watch for progress on climate finance, methane, and the inclusion of developing countries, and for how subnational and private-sector leaders step up alongside national governments.

Actions You Can Take Beyond COP31

COP31 may help set the direction for global climate action, but governments cannot achieve climate goals alone. Households can vote and make choices about how they use energy, while businesses and community organizations can influence change through their operations, purchasing decisions, investments, and advocacy. Actions can range from improving energy efficiency and electrifying vehicles and buildings to choosing renewable electricity and supporting local clean energy development.

Community solar can be part of that toolkit, giving eligible households and organizations a way to participate in renewable energy even when rooftop solar is not an option. Taken together, these decisions help turn international climate commitments into action in the communities where people live and work.

Resources

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “Global Stocktake.” UN Climate Change. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://unfccc.int/topics/global-stocktake.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “NDC 3.0.” UN Climate Change. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://unfccc.int/ndc-3.0.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “The Second Global Stocktake.” UN Climate Change. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://unfccc.int/topics/global-stocktake/about-the-global-stocktake/the-second-global-stocktake.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “UN Climate Change Conference: Antalya, November 2026.” UN Climate Change. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://unfccc.int/cop31.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “COP31: Global Climate Action.” Global Climate Action. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://climateaction.unfccc.int/CopsAndSummits/COP31.