COP31: From climate commitments to real action

The Climate Reality Project Europe’s priorities for COP31

From 9-20 November 2026, governments will meet in Antalya, Türkiye, for COP31. They arrive at a critical moment: climate impacts are becoming more and more intense, the world remains off track to limit warming to 1.5°C, and geopolitical tensions and energy price shocks are exposing the risks of ongoing dependence on fossil fuels.

COP31 must move beyond commitments. Governments need to deliver the policies, finance and practical action required to turn them into reality.

The Climate Reality Project Europe calls for action on three priorities: protecting the integrity of climate negotiations, accelerating implementation through local and national action, and ensuring that international cooperation delivers a fair transition for countries and communities worldwide.

1. Protect the integrity of climate negotiations

Climate negotiations must serve the public interest, not the interests of the fossil fuel industry. Giving fossil fuel lobbyists privileged access through official government delegations, or so-called party overflow badges, creates clear risks of conflicts of interest and undermines trust in the process.

The European Commission has set a positive example by excluding fossil fuel lobbyists from its official delegations at COP29 and COP30. Yet representatives linked to fossil fuel interests have continued to attend on EU Member States’ delegations. Research by Transparency International and Fossil Free Politics has documented this problem, using different methodologies and definitions of fossil fuel links.

At COP31, we call on the European Commission and EU Member States to:

• Keep fossil fuel lobbyists and executives out of their official delegations and not facilitate their access through party overflow badges.

• Establish clear international rules to prevent conflicts of interest in climate negotiations, including transparency requirements and accountability when these rules are breached.

• Introduce clear EU rules to protect public decision-making from fossil fuel industry influence.

Transparency alone is not enough. Governments must ensure that those with a direct financial interest in delaying climate action cannot have influence over decisions that affect everyone.

2. Turn climate commitments into action on the ground

COP31 must help turn existing commitments into tangible progress. This means accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels, expanding renewable energy, accelerating electrification, improving energy efficiency and delivering real emissions reductions.

Reducing fossil fuel dependence is also essential for energy security. Recent geopolitical conflicts and volatile energy prices have exposed the risks of relying on fuels whose supply and costs are vulnerable to international disruption.

But international commitments will remain words on paper unless they translate into action at every level. National governments must deliver credible climate policies, while cities and communities need the resources and opportunities to implement their own climate plans.

Across Europe, Climate Reality Leaders and Climate Hubs are advancing community-led climate solutions and engaging local decision-makers. Their work shows how climate goals can translate into practical action, from cleaner transport and energy-efficient buildings to renewable energy and more inclusive urban planning.

We call on governments to:

• Turn commitments to transition away from fossil fuels into concrete policies, timelines and measurable emissions reductions.

• Accelerate renewable energy, electrification, energy efficiency and other solutions that reduce fossil fuel dependence.

• Support local and community-led climate action, ensuring that cities and communities have the resources and capacity to contribute.

Strengthen accountability for implementing existing climate commitments.

A just transition must also protect workers and communities, ensure meaningful public participation and share the benefits of a low-carbon economy fairly.

3. Make international climate cooperation fair and adequately funded

The climate crisis is global, but responsibility for causing it and the resources available to address it are distributed unequally. Many countries in the Global South face severe climate impacts despite having contributed relatively little to historical emissions. They also face significant barriers to financing adaptation, responding to loss and damage, and transitioning away from fossil fuels.

International climate commitments lack credibility unless countries with greater historical responsibility and financial capacity provide the support needed to implement them.

At COP31, we call on governments and international financial institutions to:

• Deliver accessible, predictable public climate finance for emissions reduction, adaptation and addressing loss and damage.

• Prioritise grants and other forms of finance that do not deepen debt burdens, particularly for climate-vulnerable countries.

• Strengthen technology transfer, knowledge-sharing and capacity-building to support locally appropriate climate solutions.

• Ensure that developing countries and affected communities have meaningful opportunities to shape climate decisions and their implementation.

We stand in solidarity with the priorities expressed by the African Climate Reality Project in its Making COP Work for Africa position paper, available through the Climate Reality Africa website. African and other Global South voices must shape decisions that affect their futures, rather than simply receive decisions made elsewhere.

A just transition cannot be achieved if countries are expected to deliver ambitious climate action without the means to do so. International cooperation must turn solidarity into practical support and accountability.

COP31 must deliver more than promises

The direction is clear: the world needs a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, climate action that delivers tangible results, and international cooperation grounded in justice and shared responsibility.

COP31 must protect climate negotiations from fossil fuel industry interference, turn existing commitments into real-world emissions reductions, and ensure that developing countries have the finance, technology and support needed for a just transition.

For The Climate Reality Project Europe, these priorities are closely connected. Climate diplomacy must create the conditions for action, governments must deliver on their commitments, and communities must have the means to shape and implement solutions.

COP31 must be a turning point from commitments to delivery - protecting the public interest, accelerating climate action and ensuring that no country is left without the means to make the transition.