COP31: A Test for Global Climate Cooperation

COP31 co-presidents Türkiye and Australia are calling for renewed multilateral commitment on climate action, with clean energy and resilient infrastructure at the top of the agenda. As legal accountability for climate inaction grows and the multilateral process faces scrutiny, the stakes around the November summit are coming into focus.

The international policy landscape is under pressure. But with COP31 approaching, there are clear signs that collective climate action still has momentum.

Türkiye and Australia, co-presiding over the November 2026 summit, have issued a joint letter to parties calling for stronger multilateral cooperation on climate change. The letter makes the case for accelerating progress on clean energy, electrification, and resilient infrastructure, framing COP31 as an opportunity to build on existing momentum.

Türkiye has also joined Azerbaijan and Brazil in a call for proposals on the Belem Mission to 1.5, an initiative created to strengthen national climate commitments, accelerate adaptation plans, and improve implementation capacity. This points to continued political will to keep 1.5°C within reach, even as national positions diverge.

The UN General Assembly recently endorsed the International Court of Justice's 2025 advisory opinion, affirming that governments failing to act on climate change may be breaching their legal obligations to current and future generations. The US and several major oil-producing nations voted against the resolution, and critics noted their influence weakened the agreed document. Whether COP31 can deliver meaningful progress against that divide remains to be seen.