COP31: the show must go on
COP31 in Turkey is upon us (9-20 November). David Wojick explains what to look out for. “The beginning of the end of COPs might even be on the table.”
Source: COP31
David Wojick
Date: 3 November 2026
COP31 is upon us, and while you may think it is pointless, it is still a spectacle worth watching.
These folks are professional negotiators who could just as easily spend eleven luxury days debating the seating priorities on the first passenger trip to Mars. There is also the enormous global trade show that comes with it.
So here are a few interesting negotiations to look out for. The beginning of the end of COPs might even be on the table. This is not about the formal agenda because tricky issues have a way of springing up. Surprise is a big part of the spectacle.
More Money
First, there is the annual issue of MORE MONEY. Mind you, funding commitments are never mentioned, just more ways to get it. This year there are at least two “funding mechanisms” under discussion.
One is called the “Just Transition Mechanism” where the transition in question is the imaginary end of fossil fuel use. The idea is to fund regions, communities, businesses, and people who are hurt by the transition. Unemployed oilfield workers, for example, when we stop using oil.
This critter already exists at the EU level having been created around 2021.
https://commission.europa.eu/topics/regional-and-urban-policy/just-transition-mechanism_en
The issue at COP31 is whether to create a global version of the Just Transition Mechanism.
Pacific
The second proposed new mechanism is the “Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF),” which is not actually a UN Climate activity. Australia, which just signed a PRF Treaty with Fiji, explains it this way:
“The PRF is the first Pacific-led, owned and managed community resilience financing facility. It will provide grants for climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and projects that respond to loss and damage. It will seize the economic opportunities of clean energy through resilient, community-led projects.”
What the PRF is doing at COP31 is unclear and there is a lot of that going around.
There are a growing number of non-UN climate activities springing up. Each is driven by the correct observation that the COP extravaganzas are going nowhere.
The leading example is the effort to develop fossil fuel transition “roadmaps” for every country. This is explained in my article “The ‘Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels’ project has become a global program.”
Fossil Fuel Treaty
Another rogue activity is designing a new Fossil Fuel Treaty (FFT) mandating the phase out that countries can adopt (possibly using a roadmap). As a treaty, the FFT would be a legally binding instrument enforceable by the courts. The FFT has its own promoting organization here.
https://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/
What is most interesting is that such a treaty has the potential to destabilize the UN Climate Change Program. The UN Program is based on an existing treaty, the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). The FFT could compete with the FCCC such as for financial resources and even for jurisdiction. The FFT might even make the FCCC obsolete.
Ironically, the Roadmap rogue started with a suggestion by the COP30 president. The COP31 president has made a new suggestion called the “electrification goal.” The core electrification goal for COP31 is the “35 by 35” pledge, which aims to raise electricity’s share of global final energy consumption from roughly 20–23% today to 35% by 2035. This too may become a non-UN activity.
How COP31 will handle these rogue initiatives is the really big show.
The article you have just read was made possible by our donors.
Every day, Clintel publishes articles on climate, energy and science. We also translate and share international analyses in multiple languages, produce videos, publish reports and organize conferences and events around the world.
We receive no government funding and rely entirely on the support of our donors. Your support helps us promote independent research and contribute to a more open and balanced debate on climate and energy issues.
Would you like to support our work? Choose the option that suits you best:
• Become a Friend of Clintel – support us with an annual contribution
• Make a recurring donation – provide ongoing support and help us plan ahead
• Make a one-time donation – every contribution helps
Thank you for your support.
more news
Fish boomed when CO2 was five times higher and Earth was 5–8°C warmer
A new study shows that ocean life thrived with extremely high CO2 and very warm water, says Jo Nova. This runs totally counter to the catastrophe the IPCC is marketing.
The Great Famine of the 21st Century
A cautionary tale of our future climate by David Siegel.
Roger Pielke Jr.: How RCP8.5 Became the Climate Policy Nightmare
In his second presentation for Clintel on October 11th, Roger Pielke Jr. explained how an extreme emissions scenario, originally designed to explore a possible future, became one of the dominant assumptions in climate research and policy.
The post COP31: the show must go on appeared first on Clintel.
Please consider helping!
Awake Freedom TV On Roku is Broken! 🙂
I could no longer maintain the costs on my own, so I moved the off of a dedicated server which was needed for the TV platform to work. On top of that, I want to build an app Awake Freedom TV app, for mobile phones. We need your help to first resurrect our TV channel, and then build the mobile app. In order to do that, I need a minimum of 800/month on subscription payments. Please help anyway you can with the form below.
Leave A Comment