UN climate chief says countries must move beyond pledges to deliver practical solutions, citing fossil fuel price shocks and the growing cost of climate impacts.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has called on governments to accelerate investment in renewable energy, improve access to adaptation finance and cut methane emissions, saying the international climate process must move beyond setting targets to delivering results.
- UN climate chief says countries must move beyond pledges to deliver practical solutions, citing fossil fuel price shocks and the growing cost of climate impacts.
- Adaptation finance and renewable energy
- Fossil fuel volatility adds to economic pressure
- Türkiye and Australia push implementation agenda
- Climate finance negotiations face major test
- Vulnerable countries face growing climate losses
- UN climate secretariat raises funding concerns
Opening the COP31 conference in Antalya, Türkiye, on Monday, November 9, Mr Stiell said countries had made important progress since the Paris Agreement but were still falling short of what was required to tackle climate change.
He said 90 per cent of major renewable energy projects were now cheaper than fossil fuel alternatives, demonstrating how climate commitments had influenced investment and markets.
But he argued that progress remained too slow and unequal, requiring governments to focus on specific solutions rather than continue to rely on broad climate commitments.
“Beyond sending signals, COP31 must accelerate solutions,” he told delegates.
The November 9-20 conference is hosted by Türkiye, with Australia leading the negotiations. Its central theme is implementation and acceleration, with attention on how governments can turn existing climate targets into practical programmes and investments.
Adaptation finance and renewable energy
Mr Stiell identified three priorities for the conference: increasing adaptation finance, removing barriers to accessing committed funds and expanding renewable energy capacity.
He called for solutions to triple adaptation funding, noting that countries continue to face difficulties accessing climate finance even when resources have been committed.
He also called for global renewable energy capacity to triple by 2030, alongside stronger electricity networks that would allow power to move across borders and support growing demand.
On emissions, he urged governments to accelerate reductions in methane, particularly from the oil and gas and waste sectors, with major energy producers taking a leading role.
Mr Stiell said combining methane reductions with electrification could cut projected global warming by half a degree Celsius.
Fossil fuel volatility adds to economic pressure
The economic case for moving towards renewable energy featured prominently in the address.
Mr Stiell said the surge in fossil fuel prices this year had sent shockwaves through the global economy, raising costs for households and contributing to inflation.
He cited figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which showed that renewable energy saved approximately US$500 billion globally in 2025 and a further US$265 billion in the first half of 2026.
He also pointed to the returns from investment in climate adaptation, arguing that protecting communities and infrastructure could reduce the long-term economic costs of climate change.
For governments facing energy price volatility, the figures strengthen the case for diversifying energy sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Türkiye and Australia push implementation agenda
Mr Stiell said COP31 would take a different approach to climate action, with more attention given to coordinating the implementation of solutions alongside the formal negotiations.
Türkiye is hosting the conference, while Australia is leading the negotiations under a joint arrangement intended to advance work through both the negotiating process and the Global Climate Action Agenda.
He commended Türkiye’s COP31 President, Murat Kurum, for his support for the Action Agenda.
The UN Climate Change Secretariat plans to use the platform to bring governments, businesses and other non-state actors together around common climate priorities. It is also working with other climate weeks around the world to mobilise support across six pillars of the Action Agenda.
Mr Stiell said the secretariat was preparing a final-day assessment of progress made during the two-week conference.
He stressed, however, that the formal negotiations would remain central to COP31, with Australia’s Chris Bowen leading efforts to reach consensus.
Climate finance negotiations face major test
Among the issues before negotiators are agreements on a just transition mechanism, adaptation, mitigation and climate finance.
Mr Stiell said an agreement on a just transition mechanism would help countries manage the shift to cleaner economies while taking account of the needs of their populations.
On adaptation, he wants agreements that establish a framework for directing funds to countries and introduce indicators for measuring progress.
Mitigation agreements, he said, should help governments accelerate emissions reductions across sectors and provide clearer signals to markets and societies.
Climate finance will also require attention, particularly the arrangements for delivering the existing US$300 billion and US$1.3 trillion commitments.
He said the negotiations should clarify how the commitments would be achieved without reopening previous agreements, adding that the entire financial system would need to play a greater role in mobilising capital.
Vulnerable countries face growing climate losses
The UN climate chief also drew attention to the human cost of climate change, referring to a recent tragedy in the Himalayas and the growing number of disasters affecting communities around the world.
He warned that an extreme El Niño phenomenon was adding to the climate pressures already affecting populations and economies.
The pre-COP meeting held in Fiji in early October, in partnership with Australia and Pacific island countries, had highlighted the particular vulnerability of communities in the region.
Mr Stiell said the heaviest costs continued to fall on vulnerable populations and called for equity to guide the global transition to clean energy and climate resilience.
He argued that protecting vulnerable communities was not only a matter of fairness but also in the interest of all countries, given the economic consequences of unchecked global warming.
UN climate secretariat raises funding concerns
While calling on governments to accelerate climate action, Mr Stiell also raised concerns about the resources available to the UN Climate Change Secretariat.
He said the organisation’s mandates were increasing while its funding was declining, placing pressure on its ability to support the growing demands of the international climate process.
Although the secretariat had made efficiency improvements, he said further discussions with governments would be necessary during budget consultations over the next six months.
“We cannot continue to do more with less,” he said.
He cautioned delegates against expecting a single conference to resolve the climate crisis, but said COP31 must build on the progress made at previous meetings.
For Ghana and other developing economies, the discussions have implications for access to adaptation finance, renewable energy investment and support for communities exposed to climate risks, particularly those dependent on agriculture.
Mr Stiell said accelerating practical climate solutions would also help prepare countries for the second global stocktake, due in two years.
