The EU goes into COP31 noticeably more muted than at previous events, which appears to be a sign of the times.
The UNโs 31st annual climate conference got underway in Antalya, Turkey, on Monday 9 November in a global context in which it is hard to ignore the naysayers โ those loud voices insisting the issues are too complex, the negotiations too slow, the knock-on effects of decarbonisation too painful…
Dialling it down
The EU should dial down its approach this time around, Luxembourgish environment minister Serge Wilmes told Radio 100,7, when he met with his counterparts from around the bloc last month in Luxembourg to decide on the blocโs mandate for the summit.
Last time, the EU went in with high hopes, but these ended up dashed, he admitted. As a result, Europe should be ready to compromise.
Serge Wilmes, Luxembourgโs Minister of the Environment :
โIf we present ourselves, as we did last time, as the great champion of climate ambition, acting like a โwhite knightโ, eager to lead the way, we run the risk of failing to truly engage with others or to persuade them to join us on this path. After all, from their perspective, they have valid arguments for the pace they have chosen to set. So we might need to adopt a more modest approach, while remaining ambitious enough not to lose sight of the core objective โ namely, reducing emissions.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Luxembourgish here.
EU officials have also been quoted as saying that we need to be โrealisticโ, further underlining the muted mood in Brussels.
But Nikos Charalambides, executive director of Greenpeace Greece, points out to our colleagues at Skai that while countries have still not agreed, at UN level, to phase out fossil fuels, realism works both ways.
Nikos Charalambides, Executive Director of Greenpeace Greece :
โScientific research has not given us any reason to revise previous findings in a more positive direction. On the contrary, every new projection for the future is more alarming, more difficult, more costly and more painful for humanity. So we cannot expect any reassurance from science. What we need is political courage and the determination to implement what has already been agreed. And all of this is happening in a political environment that is far from favourable.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Greek here.
By this, of course, he is in large part referring to the climate-change denial being propagated at the highest level across the Atlantic.
Nikos Charalambides, Executive Director of Greenpeace Greece :
โSo, looking at the bigger picture, other countries โ particularly the EU โ have an important role to play. Until recently, the EU was, or at least aspired to be, a global leader in climate action, with some of the most ambitious policies. And I say โuntil recentlyโ because we now see defence and competitiveness taking priority. I’ve also seen recent statements by [Greeceโs] own minister suggesting that we should not have to shiver in the cold for the sake of the green transition. But was the green transition some kind of sacred symbol? What are we actually doing to prevent a worse future? If other countries do not agree to fill the gap left by the US, and simply continue to point the finger, we will clearly fail to make progress. Then we will have absolutely no chance of achieving the 1.5-degree target identified by science.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Greek here.
Yet Luxembourgโs Wilmes stressed that the EU mandate does not include stumping up more cash for climate action.
Serge Wilmes, Luxembourgโs Minister of the Environment :
โWhat is clear from the EUโs perspective is that the rest of the world should not expect our member states to invest more public funds in climate action than they have already pledged. We stand by that.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Luxembourgish here.
This position is confirmed by Portuguese environment minister Maria da Graรงa Carvalho in an interview with Renascenรงa.
Indeed, Graรงa Carvalho does not believe that any country in the world will be offering up more money. Instead, this yearโs COP should focus more on how to implement existing commitments, with billions of dollars pledged but still unspent โ often tied up in administrative delays.
Maria da Graรงa Carvalho, Portugalโs Minister of the Environment :
โI do not foresee any increase in funding. The funding that is currently on the table needs to be implemented, because there is a lot of money earmarked for the Global Environment Facility and for adaptation that has not yet turned into anything. So, the aim in all of this is to reaffirm these objectives and move towards meeting them.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Portuguese here.
Speeding it up
The European Commissionโs 2026 progress report on EU climate actions, which came out on Monday, does, though, state that the bloc needs to pick up the pace if it is to meet its own target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent by 2030. Of particular concern is last yearโs increase in emissions from buildings and the transport sector.
The Portuguese minister is set to announce, in the second week of the climate conference, how Portugal plans to fulfil its fossil-fuel-reduction commitments. In the meantime, she stresses a continued focus on three key areas: transport, buildings and industry.
Maria da Graรงa Carvalho, Portugalโs Minister of the Environment :
โWe have a 50-per-cent reduction target by 2034 and we will be making an announcement on this matter at COP, with further details on the subject. Weโre doing this through electrification. Weโre electrifying transport โ public transport, private transport, electric vehicles; funding the underground, railways and electric buses. So, this is for transport. Buildings too. And we have funding in the Modernisation Fund to help those industries that are more difficult to decarbonise โ those that rely heavily on gas, such as glass and ceramics.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Portuguese here.
Even in this increasingly unambitious climate โ if youโll pardon the pun โ there are plenty of people who believe action on this front remains vital.
One such is Greta Thunberg, whose arrival in Antalya caused some degree of excitement, particularly among youth activists. Speaking on the sidelines of the conference on Thursday morning, the 23-year-old issued a powerful reminder that โno one is coming to our rescueโ.
Thunberg has not attended a COP since COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, when she famously said that the talks amounted to โblah, blah, blahโ. It is interesting, therefore, that she has chosen this year to re-engage with the event.
In the run-up to the climate conference, another youth activist, Josephine Loschetter, one of Luxembourgโs young climate delegates, told 100,7 what had motivated her to attend.
Josephine Loschetter, Luxembourgish Youth Climate Delegate :
โWe are naturally going there to represent the views of the Luxembourgish youth. Throughout the year, we conducted surveys and held consultations with various young people. So, we are going there to ensure that our minister actually listens to the youth.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Luxembourgish here.
The importance of youth engagement
On the broader subject of youth engagement in society, Radio Romรขnia reports the findings of a recent OECD report showing that some 14 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds across OECD countries are so-called โNEETsโ (neither in employment, nor education, nor training). This figure, though, jumps to 23 per cent in Romania.
Sociologist Mihai Dumitru, a researcher specialising in youth-related issues, believes that the failure to address this issue, in Romania and beyond, could have a wider social impact.
Mihai Dumitru, Sociologist :
โYouth is a transitional period between adolescence and adulthood, when young people establish themselves within social relationships. They choose, or seek, to build as many social connections as possible or, conversely, they become isolated. The fact that [so many] are neither in the education system nor active in the labour market means that they are becoming socially isolated, with consequences for their individual development and, importantly, for society as a whole.โ
You can listen to the original clip in Romanian here.
On a related note, Austrian member station Agora discusses the state of democracy, growing social divisions and the importance of connecting with others with Daniela Ingruber, a researcher specialising in democracy and conflict at Viennaโs Institute for Strategic Analysis.
Dr Ingruber begins by highlighting the political significance of a simple park bench.
Daniela Ingruber, Democracy and War Researcher :
โThe park bench is highly political because it is situated in a public space, and because our public spaces have been being eroded for years. I am talking about both physical public spaces and digital public spaces. There are ever more restrictions in this regard, and these are usually disguised under the pretext of making things safer or more attractive. In reality, the aim is to ensure that people have fewer spaces in which to meet. Who actually sits down next to someone on a park bench these days? I mean, when you do sit down, youโre usually on your own โ or you want to be left alone. But it used to be normal to join someone sitting there. So the park bench is, in a way, a symbol of the division being thrust upon us, and the measures that are being taken to ensure we no longer talk to one another.โ
You can listen to the original clip in German here.
She stresses that there is a genuine need for politicians to take action to regain trust and restore hope among the population โ especially among young people โ or else democracyโs days are numbered. One way of doing this is to try to restore a culture of active and positive interaction.
Daniela Ingruber, Democracy and War Researcher :
โI believe we simply need to return to a culture of debate, in the democratic sense. This involves, on the one hand, active listening โ not waiting until we finally get the chance to say whatโs important to us, but taking the time to listen to what others think, and then responding to this and engaging with it. It also has a great deal to do with empathy: listening carefully and trying to see things from other peopleโs perspectives.โ
You can listen to the original clip in German here.
COP31 is, if nothing else, a chance for face-to-face, intergenerational interactions and an honest exchange of views. The question is whether there is much โactive listeningโ or โempathyโ in evidence. Watch this space.
- Joanna Neville, Euranet Plus News Agency
