Cop31 host urges wealthy countries to spend ‘much more’ on climate than defence

Turkey’s climate‑change minister Murat Kurum, the designated president of Cop31, used a pre‑summit gathering in Fiji to argue that wealthy nations should allocate far more of their budgets to combating climate change than the 5 percent of gross domestic product that NATO members have pledged for defence by 2035. In a forceful address, Kurum said the climate crisis is a security issue and that “much more” should be spent on climate than on defence, citing the disproportionate risk faced by low‑lying island states. He was joined by Australia’s climate minister Chris Bowen, who highlighted that only 0.2 percent of global climate finance reaches small island developing countries for adaptation, and by Pacific leaders urging the preservation of the 1.5 °C target and greater ocean protection. The meeting, attended by roughly 30 ministers—including representatives from India, Europe, China and Saudi Arabia—alongside heads of global agencies and about 4,000 participants, also featured a delegation’s visit to Tuvalu, where 13‑year‑old Melelusi Sokotia warned that rising seas threaten the very futures of her peers.

The summit’s core debate centered on how to translate climate rhetoric into concrete action, particularly regarding the phase‑out of fossil fuels. While Kurum and Bowen backed a multi‑country statement echoing the “transition away from fossil fuels” language adopted at Cop28, Kurum hesitated to repeat that phrasing, insisting the world was already in transition and that further debate on wording would be unproductive. Critics noted the host nation’s continued support for new coal and gas projects, a stance mirrored by other oil‑producing countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, which have historically resisted explicit fossil‑fuel references at climate talks. Delegates from these nations opposed naming fossil fuels at Brazil’s Cop30, underscoring the diplomatic friction that hampers consensus on a definitive phase‑out pathway. Meanwhile, a coalition of dozens of countries, frustrated by perceived UN stalemate, convened in Colombia and plan to reconvene in Tuvalu in July to press for a binding agreement on fossil‑fuel reduction at Antalya.

The implications of these discussions are far‑reaching. If NATO members heed Kurum’s call and shift a larger share of their spending toward climate mitigation, the scale of financing available for vulnerable nations could increase dramatically, potentially addressing the stark disparity highlighted by Bowen’s 0.2 percent figure. Pacific leaders, especially those from Fiji and Tuvalu, emphasized that the urgency of their existential threats must translate into actionable support, urging delegates to “carry something of the Pacific with you.” The upcoming Cop31 in Antalya will therefore test whether the global community can move beyond symbolic commitments to meet the target of sourcing 35 percent of energy from electricity by 2035—a rise from the current 21 percent—and whether it can overcome the entrenched opposition of fossil‑fuel‑dependent states to secure a genuine, enforceable phase‑out. The outcome will shape not only the financial architecture of climate aid but also the broader security narrative that frames climate change as a central threat to global stability.

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