Photo: Burak Kara / Getty Images News / Getty Images
World leaders and representatives from nearly 200 countries have gathered in Antalya, Turkey, for the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but the United States will not send an official delegation to the summit. The conference, which runs from Monday, November 9 to Friday, November 20, marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement entering into force.
For the second year in a row, the Trump administration is not sending federal officials to the annual summit, making the U.S.—the world's second-largest and historically biggest emitter—the major developed nation absent from the official talks. President Donald Trump signed an executive order at the start of his second term withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC, with the latter move set to take effect next year.
While the White House is not participating, more than 100 American state and local leaders, along with business and community representatives, will attend independently. Groups such as America Is All In and Climate Mayors are among those organizing the unofficial U.S. presence.
The conference opened with a quickly agreed agenda, a departure from previous years where debates over topics delayed negotiations. However, tensions quickly surfaced over climate financing, with developing countries pushing wealthy nations to increase their financial contributions for adaptation and loss and damage. The European Union also expressed concerns over new finance topics being added to the agenda.
COP31 focuses on turning climate commitments into specific actions, including accelerating clean energy transitions, expanding electrification, reducing waste and methane emissions, and developing climate-resilient cities. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence and its environmental impact is also on the agenda, with the Antalya Artificial Intelligence Pledge inviting voluntary commitments to transparency and clean energy use among AI companies.
Recent reports from the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization show the world remains off track to meet its 1.5-degree Celsius target under the Paris Agreement. The average global surface temperature from January to September 2026 was about 1.47 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, and greenhouse gas concentrations continue to reach record highs.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action, saying, "We have entered a new age of climate extremes." The summit will continue through Friday, November 20, with negotiations expected on adaptation, mitigation, and finance, though it remains to be seen if new agreements can be reached without the participation of the U.S. federal government.