From 9 to 20 November 2026, the world’s climate negotiators gather in Antalya for COP31, the 31st UN Climate Change Conference. For the first time, Türkiye hosts the summit, and its message is clear: this is the “Implementation COP”. After years of setting targets, the focus now turns to delivering them.
For businesses in Türkiye and across the region, that shift matters. Targets become regulations, regulations become reporting duties, and reporting duties increasingly require independent verification. Companies that can measure, manage and prove their climate performance will be best placed for what comes after Antalya.
COP31 at a Glance
- Dates
- 9–20 November 2026
- Venue
- Antalya Expo Center, Antalya, Türkiye
- COP President
- Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change
- President of Negotiations
- Chris Bowen, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy
- Pre-COP
- 5–8 October 2026 in Fiji, with a leaders’ event in Tuvalu
- World Leaders’ Summit
- 11–12 November 2026, in Antalya
COP31 is hosted under an unusual partnership. Türkiye and Australia both bid for the summit and agreed in November 2025 to share the role: Türkiye hosts and presides, while Australia leads the negotiations and brought the Pacific nations’ voice to the table through the pre-COP.
What Is on the Agenda
The COP31 Presidencies describe COP30 in Belém as “a shift to implementation” and aim for “balanced and ambitious outcomes” in Antalya. Five themes are expected to shape the talks:
- Adaptation and adaptation finance. Türkiye’s priorities are to implement adaptation targets more effectively, increase adaptation finance and strengthen coordination between governments, institutions and the private sector. A key commitment is to at least triple adaptation finance for developing countries by 2035.
- Climate finance delivery. Putting the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, agreed at COP29, into practice, with simpler access and more grant-based funding.
- Keeping 1.5°C within reach. Outcomes that accelerate the Paris Agreement, alongside the Global Implementation Accelerator and the Belém Mission to 1.5.
- The second Global Stocktake. COP31 launches the next five-year review of collective progress under the Paris Agreement.
- The Action Agenda. Ten priority themes, including clean energy, electrification, resilient cities, food security, ocean protection and cutting methane and waste, aim to turn national plans into investable projects.
What It Means for Türkiye and Its Exporters
COP31 arrives as Türkiye’s own climate framework takes shape. For companies, three developments now meet:
- Türkiye’s Climate Law and Emissions Trading System. Climate Law No. 7552 entered into force on 9 July 2025 and created a national Emissions Trading System (ETS). A pilot phase runs in 2026–2027, with full implementation planned from 2028. It covers sectors such as power generation, cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, chemicals, refining, glass and ceramics, and requires annual emissions reports verified by independent, TÜRKAK-accredited verifiers.
- Türkiye’s new climate targets. The second Nationally Determined Contribution aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 466 MtCO₂e against business-as-usual by 2035, on the path to net zero by 2053.
- The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Since 1 January 2026, CBAM has been in its definitive phase. EU importers of iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen and electricity must be authorised declarants, report verified embedded emissions and surrender CBAM certificates. The first annual declaration for 2026 imports is due by 30 September 2027.
For Türkiye, whose largest export market is the EU, these rules are now a question of market access. Exporters that cannot provide verified emissions data face conservative default values and higher costs for their EU customers. A domestic carbon price under the Turkish ETS is also designed to be deductible from CBAM liabilities in future, keeping more of that value in Türkiye.
Why Credible, Verified Data Now Decides the Outcome
An “Implementation COP” has a simple consequence for business: claims must be backed by evidence. Across the frameworks companies now face, the same requirements keep returning:
- Accurate measurement. Greenhouse gas inventories covering Scope 1, 2 and, increasingly, Scope 3 emissions, built on recognised methods such as the GHG Protocol and ISO 14064.
- Product-level carbon data. Embedded emissions per product, as CBAM requires for steel, aluminium, cement and fertilisers.
- Transparent reporting. Disclosures aligned with standards such as GRI, ESRS and IFRS S2, which investors, lenders and buyers use to compare companies.
- Independent verification. Third-party verification of emissions reports under the Turkish ETS and CBAM, and of environmental claims under tightening EU rules against greenwashing.
- Supply chain visibility. Large buyers are passing their own targets down to suppliers, asking for data, audits and improvement plans.
Companies that start early turn this from a compliance burden into an advantage: lower CBAM costs through actual rather than default values, better access to green finance, and a stronger position with international customers.
How Global Alliance Register Can Help
Global Alliance Register helps organisations turn climate commitments into verified, market-ready results. Through our partner network in more than 140 countries, we coordinate independent testing, inspection, certification and verification, with one accountable point of contact.
As COP31 opens in Antalya, now is the time to make sure your climate data will stand up to scrutiny. Contact us