The United Nations Climate Summit COP31, scheduled to be held in the Turkish city of Antalya this November, is facing criticism over the gap between international pledges to confront climate change and the economic and political interests of the participating countries, amid warnings that young generations will bear the largest burden of the repercussions of the climate crisis, while decision-making centers remain in the hands of parties less exposed to its future consequences.
And in an article published by the "Turkey Today" newspaper, Monday, November 9, 2026, under the title "The end of the world has an excellent retirement plan," the writer directed him. Craig Kubitas criticized what he described as double standards in climate diplomacy, saying that the summit turned into an occasion when warnings of environmental disaster coincide with the continued funding of activities that contribute to its exacerbation.
And the article pointed out that the COP31 summit will be held under unprecedented arrangements, under which Turkey will chair and host the summit, while Australian Climate Minister Chris Bowen will lead the negotiations. Australia continues to export coal and gas despite having significant potential in solar and wind energy, while Turkey seeks to strengthen its position as a strategic energy transfer hub between Eurasia and Europe, while continuing to rely on gas and coal in its economy.
The writer criticized the contradiction between the goals of the climate summit and the nature of the tourism economy in Antalya, noting that the delegations will arrive by plane and travel in official processions, and hold their meetings in air-conditioned halls and luxury hotels, while at the same time discussing the need to reduce consumption and carbon emissions.
And yet, the article acknowledged the importance of international climate diplomacy, given that climate change does not recognize national borders, and that no country can cope with rising sea levels or the fallout of global warming in isolation from the rest of the world.
The Paris Agreement
And the summit coincides with the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Paris climate agreement, which the article described as a historic diplomatic achievement that contributed to unifying international trends and accelerating investment in clean energy, but pointed out that the agreement's heavy reliance on voluntary national pledges kept a wide gap between what governments announce and what they actually implement.
And he added that the continued accumulation of carbon dioxide and record temperatures raise questions about the effectiveness of climate pledges, criticizing what he described as governments using long-term goals, such as reaching carbon neutrality, to cover the continuation of current investments in fossil fuels.
Island States and Young Generations
The article highlighted the suffering of Pacific island nations, particularly Fiji and Tuvalu, whose communities face the risks of saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion and the potential loss of residential areas due to sea level rise, despite their limited contribution to global emissions.
And these countries bear the consequences of a crisis that they were not a major party in causing, while their participation is often limited to presenting their suffering and giving international negotiations a moral dimension, while the decisive decisions remain in the hands of the major economic and political powers.
The article also criticized the limited impact of youth on climate decisions, noting that in the future, new generations will face the repercussions of rising temperatures, floods, insurance costs and disruption of food prices, while economic decisions often remain subject to the calculations of quarterly profits, energy security and electoral cycles.
The writer stressed that the essence of the problem is not so much about age differences as it is related to the distribution of power and influence, calling on the Antalya summit to go beyond traditional statements and pledges, move to binding policies to reduce emissions, provide actual climate finance, and set a clear path to shift away from fossil fuels.
The article concluded that the success of COP31 should not be measured by concluding statements and official images, but by how much governments are willing to bear the cost of climate decisions nowadays, rather than relaying their consequences to future generations.
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