What to know about this year’s UN climate talks

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It’s that time of year again: Thousands of delegates, lobbyists, and journalists are gathered for the annual UN climate talks, taking place this time in Antalya, Turkey. COP31 officially kicked off on November 8, marking the beginning of negotiations on one of the biggest stages of the climate world. Turkey and Australia are cohosting this year’s talks, which are scheduled to wrap up on November 20. This annual gathering can often serve as an indicator of where the world stands on addressing and adapting to the climate crisis. And this year’s talks are sure to be a doozy—expect a lot of back and forth on fossil fuels and climate finance in particular. Here’s what you should know about COP31. In recent years, the tension always feels high when COP rolls around. (COP stands for “Conference of the Parties.”) But this year feels especially charged: The world is still grappling with the ongoing war in Iran, which has disrupted the Middle East and sent economic shock waves around the world as energy prices have spiked. This year’s COP will be the second without a formal delegation from the US. President Trump formally withdrew the country from the Paris Agreement earlier this year and is in the process of withdrawing from the UN Framework Committee on Climate Change. That’s the treaty that allows formal participation in negotiations. Meanwhile, things aren’t looking good for the Paris Agreement, which was established at UN climate talks 11 years ago, setting a goal of limiting warming to 1.5 °C over preindustrial levels. In a report published in September, the UN Environment Program acknowledged that global warming is set to exceed that 1.5 °C goal, “likely within the next few years.” So as climate talks kick off, there’s an obvious, urgent question looming about how to quickly cut emissions to limit warming. There’s also the major issue of how to pay for efforts to address emissions and to help a warming world endure the inevitable damage. Two years ago, talks