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Conference of the Parties (COP31) will convene in Turkey from November 9 to 20, where India and about 200 other countries will come together to review their climate commitments. While multiple discussions and agreements on international climate action have already taken place, COP31 will focus on turning existing commitments into concrete policies and on-ground projects.
This challenge is becoming increasingly urgent as several reports warn that global temperatures are very likely to exceed the 1.5°C threshold within the next decade due to inadequate climate action. According to the United Nations “Emission Gap Report 2025”, bringing global warming back below 1.5°C by 2100 remains possible, achieving this goal will require significant and immediate emission cuts.
The report highlights that annual greenhouse gas emissions must fall by 35% by 2035 to follow the 2°C pathway and by 55% to stay on the 1.5°C pathway, compared with 2019 levels. This means that the world has less than a decade to reach its target of meaningful emission reductions.
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Of the 40 countries assessed by CAT, only 11 had submitted their 2035 climate targets. Together with 11 non-CAT assessed nations, just 22 countries had submitted broader targets, covering only 19% of global emissions (2022 levels).
While global energy-related CO₂ emissions rose by 1.1% globally, the US alone contributed 13.3% of this increase. China remained the largest emitter, accounting for 31.3% of global energy-sector emissions, although its emissions grew by a relatively modest 0.7% from 2024.
Without US participation in global climate efforts, there are concerns that it could set an adverse precedent and undermine the progress made so far.
This forms part of a broader goal of raising at least US$1.3 trillion annually from public and private sources. Additionally, funding for the damage caused by climate-related disasters will also be high on the agenda.
According to Reuters, the total energy supply increased by 1.7% in 2025, while renewable power generation rose by 9.1%, making the biggest contribution. In China, which is the largest greenhouse gas emitter, gasoline and diesel use declined last year, extending a trend seen in 2024.
Oil and gas demand growth remains concentrated in Europe, the Middle East and North America, with Europe and India heavily relying on imports.
World leaders need to focus more on reducing food and organic waste sent to landfills, which remain a major source of methane emissions.
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