Preparations have entered their final stage just days before the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP31 is held in Antalya from November 9 to 20. Hosted and chaired by Türkiye, with negotiations led by Australia, the conference is being presented as an “implementation COP” aimed at turning climate commitments into concrete and measurable steps.
COP31 President and Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum shared the Green Zone, the summit’s area open to visitors, on his social media account. In his post, Kurum described it as “Türkiye’s face opening to the world: the COP31 Green Zone. Here, dialogue turns into consensus and ideas turn into action,” and invited “all our citizens” to attend.
A summit area of 1.1 million square meters
The 582,000-square-meter Green Zone and the 527,000-square-meter Blue Zone, where negotiations will take place, together cover approximately 1.1 million square meters. The area is intended to demonstrate on the ground how climate policies discussed at the negotiating table are put into practice. Visitors will be able to see a range of applications firsthand, from renewable energy use and zero-waste management to food supply.
The area will include thematic centers covering zero waste, climate finance, energy and transport, science and technology, resilient cities, green industrialization, culture and civilization, business led by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, an entrepreneurship zone and COPArt. The site will bring together a broad range of participants, from investors and entrepreneurs to local governments, universities, civil society organizations and young people. The European Union, UNDP projects in Türkiye, international parliamentarians and European local governments will also be represented. Concerts, exhibitions and talks are planned to give the site a festival atmosphere, while TED is also expected to come to Türkiye as part of COP31.
All information in one app
Participants at COP31, which is preparing to become Türkiye’s largest open-air venue, will be able to access the information they need throughout the summit through the COP31 Türkiye Super App. The free app includes an events calendar featuring more than 600 programs, a personal agenda, food locations and on-site navigation.
Target: 35% electrification
Türkiye’s COP31 presidency is seeking an international commitment to raise electricity’s share of global energy consumption from approximately 22% to 35% by 2035. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and Ember put the global electrification rate at 21.6% at the end of 2024, compared with 21.5% in Türkiye. The rate is approximately 30% in China, 30.6% in Japan, 22% in the United States, 20.8% in Germany and 49% in Norway.
Ember Chief Analyst Dave Jones described the target as “ambitious but achievable,” while noting that, according to IEA projections, meeting it could reduce fossil-fuel bills in importing countries by $400 billion annually. IEA Energy Analyst Alex Martinos said investment in industry, transport and buildings would need to rise from approximately $320 billion a year today to $1 trillion to meet the 2035 target.
Documentary warning for the Mediterranean
COP31 Türkiye has also released the Mediterranean episode of the documentary series “The Heat Is Coming.” The documentary emphasizes that the Mediterranean is warming faster than many other regions and that rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns threaten ecosystems, communities and livelihoods across the basin. The full film is available on COP31’s YouTube channel.
Turkcell, one of the companies supporting the summit, has become a “Sector Partner” of COP31 and the “Master Implementation Partner” of COPArt, the conference’s official arts program. Turkcell General Manager Ali Taha Koç said digital and green transformation are complementary processes, adding, “We are working to turn the opportunities offered by technology into tangible gains in the fight against climate change.”
Yörük culture on display
Antalya’s Yörük culture will also be introduced to guests during the summit. The two-story “Antalya House,” which had not been used for approximately 10 years, was refurbished with clothing, lace curtains and kitchenware brought from Akseki and İbradı. Local products will be presented through QR codes in English, and visitors will be served gözleme, bazlama and yanık dondurma.
Information about the COP31 program, events and participation is available on the conference’s official website, cop31.tr.
Photographs: AA, COP31 Türkiye. Videos: TRT Haber, COP31 Türkiye
