Global conflicts, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, have triggered energy shocks and economic strain that complicate international climate negotiations at COP31

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Ukraine should accept territorial losses to end the war

The shutdown of the Khor Mor gas field following the November 8, 2026 drone attack cut between 2,500 and 2,800 megawatts of power generation, leaving over 70 percent of Iraq's Kurdistan region without electricity

The Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Electricity announced plans to direct power from hydroelectric facilities and alternative fuel sources to critical infrastructure including hospitals and water treatment plants

Airstrikes on residential homes in the Bani Hushaysh district east of Sanaa killed at least 33 people and wounded 39 on November 7, 2026, Houthis said

Ahead of the summit, organizers released the voluntary Antalya Artificial Intelligence Pledge to address mounting concerns over data centers and evaluate AI tools for climate action

President Donald Trump signed executive orders withdrawing the United States from both the 2015 Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that energy shocks linked to wars demonstrate that dependence on fossil fuels is a fundamental security problem

A U.S. subnational delegation of over 100 governors, mayors, and other city and state officials attended COP31 alongside an official U.S. Congressional delegation

The Trump administration sent no official delegation to COP31, marking the second consecutive year of official executive branch absence at the annual UN climate summit

African Group of Negotiators chair Antwi-Boasiako Amoah demanded that a formal delivery pathway for tripling climate adaptation finance be added to the COP31 agenda

The United Nations COP31 climate conference opens in Antalya, Turkey from November 9 to 20, 2026, bringing together representatives from nearly 200 nations

Turkey is hosting and presiding over the COP31 summit, while Australia is leading the official negotiated segment under a shared arrangement

Turkish Environment Minister and COP31 President Murat Kurum championed an Action Agenda pledge to increase electricity's share of global energy demand from 20% to 35% by 2035

United Nations Environment Programme reports released ahead of COP31 warned that global temperatures are on track to breach the Paris Agreement's 1.5-degree Celsius warming threshold within a few years

Islamist movement operatives stated they aided Sudanese army advances against the Rapid Support Forces during more than three years of civil war

Ahmed Haroun is wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes and genocide in Sudan's Darfur region in the early 2000s

The Sudanese army detained Ahmed Haroun, chairman of Sudan's former ruling National Congress Party, according to two party officials on November 8, 2026

Ahmed Haroun stated in a televised podcast interview on November 7, 2026 that the National Congress Party and the Sudanese army may not be politically aligned but were united in Sudan's civil war against the Rapid Support Forces

Secretary-General António Guterres disclosed that scientists informed him in 2025 that maintaining global warming below the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold was no longer scientifically achievable

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called COP31 a moment of truth, making his final climate appeal before his second term ends in December 2026