World leaders began COP31’s high-level meetings in Antalya on Wednesday, where Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, the summit’s president of negotiations, urged parties to compromise.
Bowen told leaders, “To every party, we must be ready to work, listen and compromise.”
Türkiye is hosting the conference and overseeing its Action Agenda, while Australia leads the formal negotiations under an arrangement between the two governments. The countries are also consulting delegates on how electrification should feature in a COP31 decision.
The summit presidency aims for electricity to account for 35% of global final energy use by 2035, up from about 23% now. Bowen said reaching the target would require more than four times the current pace of electrification.
The leaders’ summit is scheduled for Nov. 11-12, and COP31 runs through Nov. 20.
