France, Nov. 9 -- Cop31 runs until 20 November in Antalya, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Under an unusual arrangement agreed after both Turkey and Australia bid to host, Turkey holds the presidency, while Australia's climate minister, Chris Bowen, leads the negotiations.

Scientists have warned for several years that the world is approaching the 1.5C warming limit set by the Paris Agreement. The planet crossed that threshold for the first time over a full year in 2024, although the target is measured over decades, not individual years.

In October, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warned that a sustained breach of 1.5C was now unavoidable, adding that existing policies could drive warming to 2.8C this century, increasing the risk of...