Türkiye and Australia are intensifying cooperation to address the growing impacts of climate change, with COP31 officials calling for faster action and greater international support for the transition to clean energy.
COP31 Negotiations President and Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the world was facing multiple interconnected crises driven in part by climate change, making it increasingly urgent to accelerate global efforts.
Speaking at a joint press conference with COP31 President and Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, Bowen praised Türkiye's preparations for the summit.
Thanking Kurum, Bowen said Türkiye and Australia maintained close cooperation and continued working together on climate-related challenges.
He described Türkiye's preparations for COP31 as highly impressive, adding that countries were doing everything possible to advance collective efforts.
Bowen also pointed to the growing challenges posed by technological developments, including the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, alongside increasingly frequent natural disasters.
He noted that countries previously less exposed to such disasters were now beginning to experience their effects, underlining the need for a faster and more coordinated response.
Bowen said Türkiye and Australia were working intensively to strengthen efforts to address the consequences of climate change, stressing that accelerating action was essential.
- Stiell calls for faster transition to clean energy
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said the priority at COP31 was to move beyond commitments and focus on practical measures that would help countries achieve their climate targets.
He underlined the need to bring more people and stakeholders into global climate action, while ensuring countries could work toward their objectives in parallel.
Stiell said the summit was taking place amid a challenging international environment, with many countries requiring support to transition fully toward clean energy.
He described clean energy economies as an important opportunity to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
According to Stiell, around 30% of energy demand could already be made cleaner using existing technologies, highlighting the need to expand access to these solutions across more countries and communities.
He also pointed to a call by around 180 companies for $1.7 trillion in investment to modernize electricity systems and improve access to power.
Stiell said the COP31 Presidency's Action Agenda includes a target of achieving 35% electrification by 2035, describing it as an important signal for advancing the transition.
He cautioned that there was no quick fix for climate change, making accelerated international cooperation and practical measures essential to achieving meaningful progress.
- Stiell says US participation continues despite federal absence
Asked about the US' absence from COP31, Stiell said it marked the second consecutive COP at which the country had not participated at the federal level.
However, he noted that US engagement continued through subnational governments and non-state actors, as had been seen at the previous summit in Belem, Brazil.
Stiell said there remained considerable interest in climate action among US states and other non-federal stakeholders despite decisions taken at the federal level.
He expressed confidence that this engagement would also be reflected in climate discussions and activities at COP31.
