Istanbul [Turkey], November 6: COP31 will work to turn the commitments of past COPs into real results, affirmed COP31 President-Designate, Murat Kurum, ahead of the next week UN climate congference in Antalya, Türkiye.
''Record-breaking temperatures are bringing devastation faster than we expected, and fiercer than many can manage. This is the first COP where it is clear beyond reasonable doubt that the world will overshoot the 1.5-degree target. We will not look away, and we will not lower our ambition. The 1.5-degree target remains our compass, and our duty is to do everything in our power to return to it. In Antalya, we must start to respond to the new realities of overshoot,'' Kurum said, adding that ''None of this is possible without finance. In Baku, we agreed to mobilise at least $300 billion a year by 2035 for developing countries. We do not need new targets. We need to deliver on the ones we have, with developed countries taking the lead.''
COP31, he noted, has also been designed to usher in the age of electricity. ''This year's energy crisis has shocked us out of our complacency, as everyone now understands that energy that you must import is energy that you do not control. Electrification is the answer. It protects communities from volatile global markets and cuts emissions.''
''Our agenda goes further. Through zero waste, we will show that the first step of climate action is free: a decision not to waste. Cutting methane from waste is one of the fastest ways to slow warming. And we will elevate resilience throughout the summit, so that cities and coastal communities can withstand rising heat and rising seas,'' he concluded.
Source: Emirates News Agency
