Two days before the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) begins, the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya is on high alert to welcome representatives from 196 countries, including leaders, delegations and negotiators, for a summit running from November 9 to 20.
Under the coordination of the Antalya Governorship, wooden boxes have been prepared for participating leaders. They contain jams bearing the logo “COP31 Türkiye Antalya,” made from bitter orange, bergamot and the Kariğdi pear native to the Korkuteli district, as well as tahini made from “golden sesame” in Manavgat, grape molasses and the pomegranate molasses for which Side is known. The glass containers carry QR codes identifying where and how the products were made.
The conference’s official account released a short film titled “Fragile Blue,” tracing the effects of rising water temperatures and declining oxygen levels on marine life, from Egypt’s Crocodile Lake to the Sea of Marmara, through the story of the endangered noble pen shell, Pinna nobilis.
“Implementation conference”
Professor Halil Hasar, head of Türkiye’s Climate Change Authority, said his country had defined COP31 as an “implementation conference” from the outset. He explained that Türkiye is hosting the event while Australia is presiding over the negotiations, with the two countries working as a single presidency. He noted that Türkiye had consulted all negotiating groups over the course of a full year, “from the African Group to the Arab Group, and from the European Union to the least developed countries.”
Hasar added that November 11 would be “Zero Waste Day” at the conference and would see the launch of two leader-level initiatives: a network for knowledge-sharing on the circular economy and a high-level global dialogue on methane emissions from waste, with the aim of halving the global increase in municipal waste by 2035.
In this clip, released by Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum, an elderly couple is shown driving their tractor through the fields alongside the message: “COP31 is on everyone’s lips, in our land and garden, and on the world’s agenda.”
Photos: Anadolu. Video: Murat Kurum, COP31 Türkiye
