COP31 opens in Antalya as Canada pushes climate finance, resilience, methane cuts and clean economic growth in global talks
ANTALYA, Turkiye – International News Service – The United Nations climate conference opens Monday with Canada promising to press for stronger climate resilience, more clean investment and wider access to climate finance over 12 days of negotiations.
Environment, Climate Change and Nature Minister Julie Dabrusin is leading the Canadian delegation at COP31 in Antalya. Federal negotiators say they will work to advance the Paris Agreement, reduce methane emissions, speed up electrification and support communities that are vulnerable to climate change.
The talks run from Nov. 9 to 20. Turkiye holds the COP31 presidency while Australia is leading the negotiations under a compromise reached after both countries sought to host the meeting. A leaders’ summit is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.
For Canadians, the negotiations can influence federal climate rules, public and private investment, and the flow of money to countries facing severe climate damage. They also test whether Ottawa can match its international position with domestic measures as governments weigh energy security, affordability and emissions reductions.
Canada says it will highlight a climate-competitiveness agenda and work to mobilize public and private finance for developing countries. In April, Ottawa announced a goal of delivering $13 billion in international climate finance over five years. The government has not announced a new funding package tied specifically to Monday’s opening.
Canada is also a co-convenor of the Global Methane Pledge, whose participants aim collectively to cut methane emissions by at least 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and reducing it can slow near-term warming faster than measures aimed only at carbon dioxide.
The federal delegation includes officials, Indigenous representatives, civil society groups, labour, business, youth and provincial and territorial representatives. Canada’s public delegation list is preliminary and is expected to be updated after the conference.
The wider conference faces a difficult backdrop. The United States is absent from the negotiations after again withdrawing from international climate efforts. Recent summits have struggled to turn broad promises into agreed steps, while climate scientists say the world is likely to exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 C warming threshold.
No final COP31 agreement exists at opening. Any claims about a Canadian win, new global target or funding commitment should wait for negotiated text or a formal government announcement.
Source notes
Environment and Climate Change Canada COP31 page – Current delegation and priorities page accessed Nov. 9, 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/canada-international-action/un-climate-change-conference/cop31-summit.html
