Fossil Fuel Emissions Show Slight Decline as COP31 Enters Second Day

Key events

Graham Readfearn

To arrive early at the venue, I chose to skip the tram and use the special Cop31 shuttle buses. This proved to be an unfortunate decision.

After two and a half hours we are still stuck in Antalya’s heavy traffic. Unexpected connections have formed among passengers, and some have begun sharing food.

I thank Philippa Bayley from Groundwork for the walnut and chocolate biscuits she generously shared from her hotel buffet.

The biscuits were exceptional, unlike the persistent traffic delays.

New data indicates a modest decline in fossil‑fuel emissions as COP31 moves into its second day

Oliver Milman

Good morning from Turkey and welcome to the second day of COP31, the United Nations climate conference aimed at accelerating global action to limit catastrophic warming.

Significant concerns were raised on the summit’s first day regarding the effectiveness of the agenda and the suitability of COP as the primary forum for progress. Sensing the fragmented geopolitical atmosphere, Chris Bowen, Australia’s climate minister and chief COP negotiator, urged countries to “show the world that multilateralism works. Let’s demonstrate we can meet the challenge.”

While stark evidence released yesterday highlighted the world’s struggle to curb rising emissions, research published this morning reveals a slight decrease in carbon output from fossil fuels, offering a glimmer of hope for delegates gathered in Antalya.

Approximately 100,000 participants assembled at the conference site yesterday, and long registration lines prompted the UN to ask those unable to attend on Monday to return later for their badges.

Tuesday will lay the groundwork for the arrival of leaders from more than 90 nations tomorrow. Notable absent nations include the United States and China. Today’s theme—“energy and transport”—focuses on a core COP objective to secure a global agreement on substantially increasing the share of electricity in total energy use, ideally from clean sources.

It remains to be seen how close the world can get to consensus on this goal. In the meantime, the Turkish baked goods are proving delicious, and an art installation crafted from discarded waste provides a pleasant visual.

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