Erdogan: Climate financing gaps make equal pace unrealistic

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said it was unrealistic to expect all countries to make the same progress on climate policy while inequalities in access to financing and technology persisted, adding he expected support from all nations for Turkey's COP31 Climate Summit action agenda.

On Monday, Turkey's COP31 president laid out an agenda aimed at turning existing climate commitments into projects and measurable results, with targets including raising electricity's share of energy consumption to 35% by 2035 and cutting projected increases in municipal waste by half.

Under an arrangement, Australia will lead formal negotiations at COP31, with Turkey responsible for the presidency and action agenda. The summit will be held in the southern Turkish province of Antalya from November 9 to 20. 

Speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York on Wednesday, Erdogan said Turkey and Australia were continuing preparations to ensure that every region's expectations are on the agenda at the summit, saying he believed a pre-COP event in Fiji next month and a leaders' meeting in Tuvalu were valuable for Pacific nations' voice to be heard.

"Every proposal in which we don't make our climate targets meet societal and economic realities is bound for failure," Erdogan said, adding he expected strong support from all countries for the COP31 action agenda.

"Steps that will strengthen countries' prosperity must be shaped by their own conditions, resources and development priorities. While inequalities persist over access to financing and technology, it is not realistic to expect all countries to advance at the same pace," he added.

"We can only make a just transition lasting to the extent that we establish a strong link between climate goals and development and prosperity."