COP31 opens in Turkey with slim agenda, eyes EV boom and political shifts

The COP31 climate conference begins Monday in Antalya, Turkey, with a reduced official agenda and hopes pinned on global political shifts and the electric vehicle boom. The meeting marks the third year without US participation in climate diplomacy. The US absence follows its second withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, leaving no crucial items for formal voting. Political changes, including the Democratic defeat of Donald Trump in midterm elections and the reelection of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are fueling optimism in parallel negotiations. Turkey aims to make this the "COP of electrification," proposing to raise electricity's share of global energy consumption from 20% to 35% by 2035. The conference will also address the Belém Action Mechanism for a just transition and begin the second global stocktake of the Paris Agreement.