By Bunmi Yekini
U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said on Thursday the door remained open for the United States to return to the Paris Agreement after Washington’s recent withdrawal, adding that the economic case for renewable energy was overwhelming despite renewed political support for coal.
Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Stiell declined to directly criticise any country but said markets and science were clearly moving against fossil fuels.
“The door remains open for the U.S. to return,” Stiell said, noting that the country had rejoined the Paris Agreement before after a previous exit.
His comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the country from the Paris climate pact and later signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense to use electricity generated from coal-fired power plants, according to a question raised by Al Jazeera.
Stiell said the economics of coal no longer stacked up.
“Renewables are the cheapest, cleanest mode of energy production moving forward,” he said. “Renewables are cheaper than coal. So the economics make no sense.”
He said global investment trends supported that view, citing around $2 trillion invested in renewables last year compared with about $1 trillion in fossil fuels.
“Where markets are shifting is absolutely clear,” he said.
Finance and carbon markets highlighted as COP29 legacy
Stiell also defended lengthy climate negotiations, saying the number of hours spent in talks mattered less than the quality of the outcome.
Asked whether the 33-hour extension of negotiations at COP29 in Baku was the longest in the history of climate summits, Stiell said he did not track records and that time should not be treated as the measure of success.
“The focus has to be on the quality of the COP outcome decisions,” he said.
Stiell said the extended talks in Azerbaijan delivered major commitments, including a tripling of climate finance pledges to developing countries from $100 billion annually to $300 billion.
While acknowledging that many developing countries were dissatisfied given the scale of need, he said the jump was “a significant feat.”
He added that COP29 also produced a commitment to scale climate finance further toward $1.3 trillion a year, a target expected to remain central to negotiations at COP31 in Antalya.
He also cited progress on carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, describing an agreement reached after a decade of negotiations that could unlock significant future finance for developing countries and help reduce emissions if environmental safeguards were maintained.
“So the 33 hours we spent there was well spent,” Stiell said.
Hosting COP not tied to fossil fuel profile, Stiell says
Stiell rejected suggestions that a country’s reliance on coal or fossil fuels undermined its ability to host a major climate summit, after a journalist questioned Türkiye’s credibility as COP31 host given its heavy coal-based electricity generation.
“There is absolutely no correlation between the country hosting a COP and whether they are a major fossil fuel producer, and the quality of the COP outcomes,” he said.
He pointed to recent summits hosted by major fossil fuel-producing nations, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan and Brazil, and cited key outcomes such as the agreement on the Loss and Damage Fund in Sharm el-Sheikh and the decision in Dubai to transition away from fossil fuels.
Stiell said COP31, co-led by Türkiye and Australia, had an opportunity to deliver strong results as countries move into what he called an “era of implementation.”
“There is every opportunity to deliver a very strong outcome,” he said.
Afghanistan participation unclear
Asked whether Afghanistan would be included in COP31 following its limited participation since the Taliban takeover, Stiell said it was too early to comment, noting that registration had not yet opened.
“We do not know who will be registering, who will not be,” he said. “So I can’t really comment on that at this moment.”