UN Climate Chief Urges EU to Back COP31 in Turkey

UN climate chief Simon Stiell has urged the European Union to fully support the upcoming COP31 climate summit in Turkey. He delivered this call on 10 September to the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety in Brussels.

Stiell began by citing the continent's recent extreme summer heat. He said it caused at least 35,000 excess deaths and cost farmers billions of euros in failed harvests. "Climate is sometimes seen as a partisan issue: as territory in the culture wars," Stiell stated. "That is palpably false. And we've just seen why: Europe's summer has been hot as hell."

He argued the crisis demonstrates that climate change is now a continent-wide economic security emergency. Doubling down on climate leadership is in Europe's own interest, he said.

The Fossil Fuel Dependency Crisis

Stiell linked the heatwave to Europe's ongoing energy cost crisis. He said both are driving up prices in a "deathly double-blow." Dependence on volatile fossil fuel imports has long been an economic weakness for the region, he noted.

Although lower gas consumption and domestic solar power saved Europe €30 billion in gas import costs this year, the International Energy Agency reported a related surge in coal demand. Coal shipments, unaffected by Middle East conflicts, have seen stable supply. The IEA estimates global coal demand will rise by 1.2% in 2026, reaching a record 8.94 billion tonnes. This is despite earlier expectations of a yearly decline.

A recent UN report showed the urgency. It found global warming is set to cross the 1.5C threshold above pre-industrial levels within the next decade under all analysed scenarios. Under current policies, median warming is projected to reach about 2.6C by 2100, with a possible range from 1.9C to 3.6C.

The Path to COP31 in Antalya

The 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) will be held in Turkey. Its presidency has already set a clean energy priority called 'the 35 by 35' target. This aims to increase the share of final energy demand met by electricity from around 20% today to 35% within the next decade.

Stiell emphasised the economic potential of this shift. He described a "goldmine of jobs and commercial opportunities" in the clean energy transition. "By standing firm behind your climate policies, going further, and backing clean, resilient growth. You can better position Europe to thrive," he told the committee.

He concluded by asking the EU to build on its legacy of climate leadership, exemplified by the Paris Agreement. "I ask the EU to throw itself behind helping COP31 in Türkiye deliver further progress," Stiell said. He urged EU countries to arrive prepared to find solutions, having considered what outcomes they want and what others need from the summit.

A Blueprint for Positive Tipping Points

Separately, The Earthshot Prize published a report on potential solutions. The 'Positive Tipping Points' report, created with the University of Exeter, highlights 51 solution areas that could trigger self-propelling planetary repair by 2030.

Earthshot Prize CEO Jason Knauf said the research explodes the myth that solutions are out of reach. "Devastating wildfires, extreme heat and floods are a clarion call for change. We must move faster to repair our planet," he said. The report is described as a blueprint for turning ambition into action.

The solutions are grouped into the prize's five 'Earthshots'. A key area is clean electricity, where solar and wind have already reached positive tipping points in some markets. Other areas with potential include sustainable commodity supply chains, ocean finance mechanisms, clean industrial production, and circular packaging design.

Professor Tim Lenton from the University of Exeter commented on the collaboration. "With this summer's record-breaking extremes giving us all a taste of accelerating global warming, it's vital to be accelerating the solutions," he said. The research aims to identify the positive tipping points that can speed necessary change.