At the opening of COP31 in Antalya, the presidency of the UN climate process passed from Brazil to Türkiye. COP30 President André Aranha Corrêa do Lago presented Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s minister of environment, urbanization and climate change, with a hammer made from wood from the Amazon rainforest.
Türkiye’s ministry said 95 countries and seven international organizations are participating in the conference at leaders’ level, including 37 heads of state and 35 heads of government. The list includes Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia and Georgia from Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria. The International Energy Agency, the World Bank and the OECD are also represented at the highest level.
Energy in the opening speeches
Kurum described renewable energy, robust grids, storage, energy efficiency, clean transport and green industry as complementary parts of a single transition. “We want people to see the outcome of the climate negotiations in new jobs,” he said, adding that the success of the Antalya decisions should also be reflected in every family’s energy bill.
Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UNFCCC, cited economic arguments: he said renewable energy saved the world around half a trillion dollars last year and $265 billion in the first half of this year alone. Australia’s climate and energy minister, Chris Bowen, who is leading the negotiations, said the transition to clean energy is changing investment, industry and employment, rather than merely reducing emissions.
OPEC: An “age of all energies”
OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais presented an alternative view on the opening day in an opinion article for the analysis section of the Anadolu Agency. In his view, the popular formula of an “age of electricity” has not yet materialized in practice, while the world will need more of every energy source in the coming decades.
Al Ghais points out that electrification itself relies on petroleum products: the average electric vehicle contains approximately 45% more plastics and polymer composites than a comparable internal-combustion-engine vehicle; around 15% of a wind turbine’s mass consists of fiberglass, resins and plastics; and a standard solar panel is approximately 10% plastic. “This is not a zero-sum game,” the secretary general writes, adding that OPEC supports the COP31 presidency and hopes this argument will resonate at the summit.
Sertab Erener’s “One Home”
On the opening day, Kurum also introduced the song “One Home – Tek Ev” (“One Home”), recorded specially for COP31 by Turkish singer Sertab Erener, the winner of the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest. “One world, one home, one sky, one hope, one voice,” Kurum wrote, thanking the performer.
The song is performed in English, with Turkish subtitles in the video. The footage moves along the coast, through forests and past ancient ruins in the Antalya region before ending with the COP31 Türkiye emblem.
The leaders’ summit will take place on November 11–12, while the conference itself will continue until November 20.
Photo: Anadolu Agency. Video: Anadolu Agency
