COP31 in Antalya: what to expect, who is going, the tensions and how to take part

From November 9 to 20, 2026, the Turkish city of Antalya hosts the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP31. A year after Belém, the meeting arrives marked by a split presidency, by disputes over fossil fuels, finance and trade, and by doubts about who will attend. This text gathers what is known as of October 30, 2026, with the sources consulted.

Information changes quickly in the weeks before the conference. Always check the official channels before making decisions.

What the COP is

The COP is the annual meeting of the nearly two hundred countries that are part of the UN Climate Convention, the UNFCCC. It is where governments negotiate the global rules and goals to reduce emissions, adapt to the effects of warming and finance the transition, including implementation of the Paris Agreement. Decisions are made by consensus, which makes each final text the result of long bargaining among countries with very different interests.

How COP31 is organized

The arrangement is unusual. Türkiye hosts the conference, at the Antalya Expo Center, and Australia, in partnership with Pacific countries, leads the negotiations. Australia's Climate Minister, Chris Bowen, was named President of Negotiations, and the pre-COP will be held in Fiji and Tuvalu, according to the Australian government. The split raised doubts: the Turkish president-designate, Murat Kurum, said the final decision lies with Türkiye, according to Climate Change News. The Leaders' Summit is set for November 11 and 12.

The COP zones: blue, green and the rest

A COP works in areas with different access rules. The official COP31 page describes two of them:

Blue Zone

This is the official area, managed by the UN, where the negotiations, the leaders' summit, national pavilions, panels and accredited side events take place. Only those with UNFCCC credentials enter: country delegations (heads of state, ministers, negotiators), observer civil society organizations, companies and research institutions accredited through them, UN agencies and the press. It is not open to the public.

Green Zone

This is the public-access area, organized by the host country, with exhibitions, debates, workshops, cultural activities and networking spaces. It receives civil society, students, researchers, companies and visitors. Entry is generally free, with pre-registration and an ID document, and the program is usually mostly in Turkish, with some sessions in English.

Pavilions and parallel spaces

Inside the Blue Zone are the pavilions of countries and groups, which work as political showcases and stages for side events. Outside the official perimeter, social movements usually organize peoples' summits, rallies and meetings of their own. In Antalya, a People's Climate Summit is planned, with a demonstration announced for November 14, according to Climate Change News and Human Rights Watch.

Criticisms of previous COPs

The latest conferences have accumulated criticism from civil society organizations and Indigenous peoples. Some of the main ones:

• Fossil fuel lobby: at COP30 in Belém, groups monitoring the issue counted more than 1,600 accredited fossil fuel lobbyists, more than most national delegations, according to Sustainability Magazine.
• Indigenous representation: although Belém had the largest Indigenous presence in COP history, delegates reported difficulties accessing the negotiations and a lack of concrete results, as the Mongabay review shows.
• Weak final texts: the Belém outcome made no mention of phasing out fossil fuels, and mining was removed from the just transition text.
• Costs and access: expensive lodging, construction with environmental impact, access restrictions and barriers for delegates from poor countries and local communities are recurring criticisms.
• Safety and infrastructure: a fire in a Blue Zone pavilion in Belém on November 20, 2025, led to the evacuation of the venue and a pause in negotiations for a few hours, according to RTÉ.

Protests at COP30 and what to expect in Antalya

In Belém, there were large marches led by Indigenous peoples and social movements, and a protest that blocked the conference's main entrance for hours, according to Al Jazeera. Crowd estimates varied widely between sources.

In Antalya, the environment is different. Human Rights Watch says Türkiye has been investigating and detaining environmental activists since 2023, and organizations such as Amnesty International are concerned about a clause in the host agreement asking participants to respect Turkish law and not interfere in the country's "internal affairs", according to Climate Change News. The agreement does not explicitly forbid criticism or demonstrations, and the government says there will be space for civil society. In short, demonstrations are likely, but in a different format and scale from Belém, and with greater risk for those who organize them.

Who is expected to attend

The list of confirmed attendees is still open, and the picture so far is this:

• according to the UN's provisional speaker list, 77 countries have leaders signed up to speak at the summit, about a third fewer than the 116 at COP28; among G20 countries, besides the hosts, only the United Kingdom, Brazil and China have head of state or government speeches, according to Climate Change News;
• President Lula confirmed attendance, arriving in Antalya on November 10 for the summit and the handover of the COP presidency, according to Al-Monitor;
• British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are expected; China should be represented by its vice premier, and Xi Jinping is not expected to attend; President Erdoğan should give the opening speech;
• Trump has never attended a COP, and the United States is in the process of leaving the Climate Convention, so an official delegation is not expected;
• no list of major company chiefs or consultants has been released. What exists is the business structure: the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) is the conference's private sector envoy, and a Business and Investment Summit is set for November 12 and 13, overlapping for the first time with the Leaders' Summit, according to UN Türkiye.

What to expect from the debate

• Fossil fuels: the roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels, promised at COP30 but still unfinished, should be the most contested topic.
• Finance: the Baku to Belém roadmap, which seeks to turn the goal of mobilizing US$1.3 trillion a year into reality, and tracking of the goal to triple adaptation finance.
• New national targets (NDCs): assessment of the updated national contributions against the remaining gap to the 1.5°C goal.
• Loss and damage, forests and adaptation: operationalization of the loss and damage fund and the forest protection agenda.
• Trade: China has put the topic among its priorities, which tends to reignite debate on carbon tariffs, such as the European CBAM, and on clean technologies, according to Climate Home News.
• Pacific: the Australian and Pacific island presence should highlight finance for vulnerable island countries.

Possible diplomatic tensions

• United States: the country announced its exit from the Climate Convention, and the conference will be, according to analyses, the first built around American absence, as Modern Diplomacy notes. The absence weakens finance and reopens the debate over who takes the lead.
• Brazil: Lula was re-elected in a runoff on October 25 against Flávio Bolsonaro, and arrives in Antalya as the president closing the Belém cycle. Domestic polarization over deforestation, licensing and remaining in the Paris Agreement should remain a backdrop for the country's image, and the fossil fuel roadmap will be a test of Brazilian leadership.
• Middle East: the war in Gaza remains a political backdrop. In September 2025, the UN independent commission of inquiry concluded that genocide is occurring in Gaza, and Israel rejected the findings as false, according to Geneva Solutions. In addition, the war involving Iran and the disruption of flows through the Strait of Hormuz reinforced the debate on energy security. There is no record of a formal dispute over these topics on the agenda, but they may surface in speeches and in negotiations among blocs of countries.
• Split presidency and civil rights: the division of roles between Türkiye and Australia may create friction in running the talks, and restrictions on demonstrations in the host country may become a subject of public debate.

How to take part

As an individual

• Green Zone: this is the simplest route. It generally requires free pre-registration through the official platform and a valid ID, and is closed to the public on the days of the Leaders' Summit (November 11 and 12). Most international travelers need a visa.
• Blue Zone: an individual cannot buy a badge. It is free, but must be nominated by an admitted observer organization, by a country delegation or by an international organization, through the UNFCCC registration system. The main deadlines, such as observer nomination on August 10 and press on October 16, have already passed, according to third-party guides. Check the official UNFCCC information page to confirm.
• Following remotely: public sessions are usually streamed online, and it is worth following the bulletins of observer organizations.

As a company

• Green Zone: companies can apply for exhibition spaces and programming through the organizers' channels (the contact indicated is greenzone@cop31.tr), but registration deadlines should be checked.
• Blue Zone: companies without observer status usually take part through industry associations, chambers of commerce, accredited business organizations or government delegations. The Business and Investment Summit is an entry point for the private sector.
• Preparation: before going, define the goal, such as investor relations, regulatory monitoring or visibility of cases, and align the emissions, goals and risk data to be presented.

What this means for Brazilian companies

What is decided at a COP ends up reaching companies by other paths: national regulation, trade rules, bank and customer requirements and investor expectations. Following COP31 helps anticipate topics such as carbon pricing, sector goals, adaptation finance and transparency requirements, and prepare reporting and risk analysis accordingly.

Talk to KICK

KICK Group supports companies with ESG maturity diagnosis, materiality, emissions inventories, risk analysis and reporting, including through the B.KICK platform. Get in touch to talk about how the COP31 agenda affects your business.

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Write to contato@kickgroup.com.br. Sources: Australian government, Climate Change News, Climate Change News (speakers), Al-Monitor, COP31 (official FAQ), UNFCCC, UN Türkiye, Human Rights Watch, Sustainability Magazine, Mongabay, Al Jazeera, RTÉ, Climate Home News, Modern Diplomacy and Geneva Solutions. This text is informational and was updated as of October 30, 2026.