Murat Kurum, Turkey's Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and President-designate of COP31, officially launched the COP31 Action Agenda at the UN headquarters in New York. The agenda aims to transform existing climate commitments into concrete projects with measurable results, emphasizing dialogue, consensus, and action. Kurum stated that the priority is to move from targets to implementation, addressing challenges like access to finance and technology transfer.
The Action Agenda outlines 10 priority themes, including energy, industry, cities, food, oceans, and health. It sets six global targets for 2035, notably increasing the share of electricity in final energy consumption to 35% through the COP31 Global Electrification Initiative. Other targets include reducing the projected increase in municipal waste generation by over 50%, cutting energy intensity in buildings by 25%, and boosting the use rate of circular materials to 15%.
These targets, if achieved, have the potential to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by 8.5 to 10 gigatons by 2035. Kurum emphasized that COP31, running in Antalya from November 9 to 20, is positioned as an "implementation COP," designed to accelerate climate action through a robust implementation architecture. While the agenda addresses numerous critical areas, the lack of direct focus on finance for developing nations was raised as a concern by some attendees, though Kurum noted the agenda aims to facilitate "green industrialization" for these countries.
The launch event, held during New York Climate Week, saw participation from other key climate officials, including UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell and representatives from COP30 and COP29. Kurum reiterated that Antalya should be a turning point for visible and measurable implementation rather than a final destination for climate discussions. Turkey also launched the Antalya Pledge on AI, promoting sustainable AI development and its role in clean energy.
