From COP of truth to COP of implementation, UN Climate Conference kicks off in Turkiye

MANILA — As climate experts, advocates and world leaders gather anew for the annual UN Climate Conference, the message from climate leaders is clear — the world must move beyond setting targets, sending signals and charting the way forward. 

At COP31, the priority must be to turn commitments into concrete action and, more importantly, to “supercharge solutions” that can accelerate the fight against climate change.

For climate-vulnerable countries like the Philippines, where communities are increasingly exposed to extreme heat, destructive storms, flooding and prolonged drought, the stakes are particularly high.

Climate leaders say COP31 must go beyond setting new targets and negotiating agreements. Instead, the conference must focus on accelerating the implementation of existing commitments and “supercharging solutions” that can protect lives, strengthen economies and limit further global warming.

Speaking at the opening of COP31, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell called for stronger action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding clean energy and increasing financial support for countries struggling to adapt to climate change.

Among the priorities is the commitment to triple adaptation finance, alongside measures to accelerate emissions reductions.

“Action on methane and electrification are a planetary icepack — able to cut half a degree from projected global heating. The stronger the outcomes, the more they will help Parties convert their targets into real-world outcomes, spreading more benefits to more people,” Stiell said.

The urgency is especially evident in the Philippines, which faces multiple climate-related threats despite contributing only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions.

For Filipino farmers, prolonged dry spells and extreme heat threaten agricultural production and livelihoods. Coastal communities face rising sea levels, storm surges and coastal erosion, while densely populated urban areas such as Metro Manila are baked under dangerous heat, flooding and the lack of sufficient green spaces.

The prospect of a powerful El Niño event adds another layer of concern, with hotter and drier conditions potentially worsening water shortages, agricultural losses and heat-related health risks.

Stiell warned that a possible “super El Niño” could intensify climate-related disasters already affecting communities and economies worldwide.

He stressed that fairness must remain central to global climate action, particularly as developing countries confront worsening impacts while having fewer resources to respond.

“Adaptation delivers proven returns on investment. Practical solutions are how we roll-out these remedies to more people, in more places, much faster,” he said.

For the Philippines, adaptation finance is critical to strengthening flood control and early warning systems, improving climate-resilient agriculture, protecting water resources and preparing communities for increasingly extreme weather.

However, access to sufficient, predictable and affordable climate financing remains a major concern for developing nations, many of which are already burdened by debt and competing development priorities.

COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum said this year’s conference must be remembered as an “implementation COP,” building on the outcomes of COP30 and translating years of negotiations into tangible benefits for communities.

Kurum said the conference would be guided by the principles of dialogue, consensus and action.

“The world already has knowledge, technology, capital, science and human talent. Our task is to bring them to the people and places that need them, at the moment they are needed,” he said.

“The last mile of climate action may lead to a field where a farmer watches the soil dry out. To the shores of a small island state facing rising seas. Or to a city street struggling with extreme heat.”

The negotiations also come amid mounting scientific warnings that the world is on course to exceed the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Scientists have warned that exceeding this threshold, even temporarily, could increase the risks of irreversible damage to ecosystems and intensify climate-related disasters.

But, COP31 President of Negotiations Chris Bowen said the possibility of temporarily overshooting the 1.5°C threshold should not mean abandoning efforts to limit global warming.

Instead, countries must pursue deeper emissions reductions to minimize the extent and duration of any overshoot and bring global temperatures back down.

“Climate change is here. It is not a forecast. It is not a prediction. It is the lived reality for billions of people,” Bowen said.

“Its impacts are growing more frequent and intense. Every fraction of a degree, and every delay, increases the risks to lives, communities, economic growth and the environment.”

As negotiations continue over the next two weeks, the challenge for world leaders is to ensure that climate commitments translate into measurable emissions reductions, accessible financing and stronger protection for vulnerable populations.