Global climate pact steering mitigation, adaptation and finance since 2015
COP31 has opened in Antalya with delegates focusing on accelerating implementation of national climate plans, securing finance for vulnerable countries and agreeing a voluntary electrification pledge to raise electricity's share of global final energy use to 35% by 2035. Talks are taking place under record heat, a powerful El Niño and strained geopolitics that are limiting appetite for ambitious finance or fossil-fuel curbs.
Australian authorities designate a deep saline storage site near Darwin to inject CO2 for long-term storage, linking to the Ichthys LNG facility. Inpex leads environmental review; project faces ecological concerns and calls for robust oversight as it seeks to reduce emissions from hard-to-abate sectors.
COP31 in Antalya is accelerating a push for electrification to 35% of global energy demand by 2035, with debates over whether electrification alone lowers emissions and how AI and renewables factor in. A new El Niño is intensifying extreme weather, underscoring the urgency for action.
A record summer of heat, drought and wildfires has prompted an emergency Cobra meeting and voluntary retailer suspensions of disposable-barbecue sales. Green groups have written to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to call the crisis 'climate change' and stop new North Sea drilling; Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has questioned net zero and urged adaptation and celebration of warmer weather.
A glacial collapse on 26 August has produced a torrent of water, mud and debris across the Nepal–Tibet border that has killed more than 1,400 people and left over 5,600 missing. Rescue teams have been digging into mud-choked hydropower tunnels, evacuating survivors and running crowded displacement camps while authorities race to drain newly formed barrier lakes that threaten fresh flooding.
El Niño is strengthening and is likely the strongest in modern records. Forecasts foresee hotter global temperatures, worsened heatwaves, floods and droughts across regions as climate warming interacts with the natural cycle.
Pacific Islands Forum leaders are confronting a mounting climate crisis and rising geopolitical pressures as big powers seek influence in the region. Discussions underscore the need for a Pacific-driven agenda amid El Niño disruptions, fuel shocks, and funding gaps for adaptation.
The UN Environment Programme has published a report saying the world will likely exceed the Paris 1.5°C limit within years. UNEP has recommended an "overshoot, peak and decline" pathway that combines immediate, deep cuts to greenhouse gases, rapid methane reductions and carefully governed carbon dioxide removal to bring temperatures back below 1.5°C this century.
The floods triggered by a glacier collapse have killed at least 1,300 people across Nepal and Tibet, with more than 5,000 missing. Officials warn that hundreds of hydropower workers remain unaccounted for as rescue efforts continue and calls for climate justice intensify.
Climate patterns have intensified this year, driving heatwaves, droughts and floods across multiple regions. Governments are mobilising finance, strengthening resilience, and adjusting policies as temperatures and rainfall shift. Aid budgets face pressure while activists warn of rising humanitarian needs.
Copernicus confirms August 2026 tied for hottest month on record, with Western Europe enjoying its warmest summer. Global oceans reach new highs as El Niño intensifies. Scientists warn that emissions continue to drive extreme conditions and urge rapid action.
Nepal and neighbouring regions face a devastating flood crisis after a glacier collapse triggered floods on August 26. Governments and agencies have mobilised relief, with calls for climate justice and funding to repair infrastructure and protect vulnerable communities.
Bloomberg reports that the Trump administration has rolled back climate data and tools from federal websites as part of a broader deregulatory push, potentially increasing corporate and research uncertainty about environmental risks. The move follows earlier steps to reduce protections for water bodies and emissions rules, and experts warn the changes will erode decision-making resources for businesses and policymakers.
Disaster-hit Nepal faces mounting rebuilding costs after a glacier collapse triggered devastating floods. Scientists link warming to destabilisation of glaciers, while international finance bodies struggle to mobilise funds. Nepal urges faster climate finance to support relief, reconstruction and loss-and-damage claims.
The Environmental Protection Agency has repealed most of the Biden-era carbon-pollution standards for power plants and is proposing to eliminate remaining greenhouse-gas rules for the sector. The agency argues the rules exceed its authority under the Clean Air Act and would not meaningfully curb emissions. The move follows a broader push by the Trump administration to unleash American energy and roll back climate regulations.
The 81st UN General Assembly High-Level Week is under way as world leaders gather to assess climate action, pandemic preparedness, sea-level rise and progress on the SDGs. The week also marks milestones on development charters and anti-discrimination work, with diplomacy conducted largely behind closed doors.
Nepal has suffered a devastating flood triggered by a glacial collapse, killing over 1,400 people with thousands missing. International leaders are calling for climate resilience and funding, while Nepal seeks support for recovery and adaptation.
Global discussions have centered on a devastating Nepal flood triggered by glacier collapse and permafrost thaw. Nepal argues for grant-based aid and regional resilience measures, while the international community contemplates funding through the Loss and Damage mechanism and other climate finance channels.
The EU Copernicus service has updated that Western Europe endured its third-hottest summer on record, driven by a strong El Niño and rising fossil-fuel emissions. Heatwaves have raised mortality, stressed water systems, and intensified drought, with record sea temperatures and wildfire activity compounding impacts.
Pacific nations and allies press for urgent action on climate finance, ocean health, and keeping 1.5°C within reach ahead of COP31 in Turkey. Pre-COP meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu highlight vulnerability to sea-level rise and demand concrete, community-level finance and adaptation.
El Ni no is strengthening and is forecast to peak in December 2026. Observations show record sea-surface temperatures with far-reaching impacts on heat, rainfall, and droughts across regions. Forecasts warn of continued extreme conditions into 2027 as nations prepare.
The Lancet Countdown shows health harms from climate change have grown since the Paris Agreement. Heat-related deaths rose globally, with 2023 linked to 710,000 deaths and drought affecting half the world’s land in 2025. Clean energy investment rose, but fossil fuels still dominate energy supply. Experts call for placing health at the centre of climate decisions ahead of Cop31.
Turkey unveils a $500 billion energy plan ahead of COP31, aiming to electrify its economy by 2040 and cut coal reliance, while keeping security of supply. The plan foresees a quadrupling of wind/solar and a shift toward nuclear, with steep investment and questions about a timely coal exit.
Leaders gather as COP31 opens under pressure to translate past climate pledges into action. Delegates face financing for poorer nations, energy transition plans, and a shift toward renewables, while geopolitical tensions and energy shocks test commitments.