GoKawiilCOP31 opens amid US absence from Paris Agreement and 1.5°C warming warning
This year's UN climate conference, COP31, convenes against a backdrop of disrupted energy markets tied to the ongoing war in Iran and continued US withdrawal from international climate frameworks. It marks the second COP without a formal US delegation since President Trump pulled the country out of the Paris Agreement and began exiting the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The talks follow a September UN Environment Program report concluding that global warming will likely exceed the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target within just a few years.
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The US absence removes one of the world's largest emitters from formal negotiations, which could weaken collective pressure to cut emissions and complicate financing arrangements that wealthy nations have traditionally helped fund. With the 1.5°C threshold now expected to be breached soon, according to the UN Environment Program, talks may shift from prevention toward how to fund adaptation to unavoidable climate damage. Energy price shocks from the Iran war could also harden disagreements between countries over fossil fuel phase-outs versus energy security concerns.
- COP31 is the second UN climate conference without formal US participation after Trump's Paris Agreement withdrawal.
- A UN Environment Program report warns the 1.5°C warming limit will likely be exceeded within a few years.
- War-driven energy price spikes and ongoing finance disputes are expected to shape contentious negotiations.
Source: technologyreview.com — Casey Crownhart, 2026-11-11
Published there as: “What to know about this year’s UN climate talks”
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