By Bunmi Yekini
U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell on Thursday called for a new era of international cooperation to accelerate global climate action, warning that growing geopolitical instability and rising pressure from fossil fuel interests threaten hard-won progress.
Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul hosted by Türkiye’s COP31 President Designate, Minister Murat Kurum, Stiell said the world was entering “extraordinary times” marked by insecurity, trade wars and attacks on international collaboration.
“We find ourselves in a new world disorder,” Stiell said, describing a period in which “the very concept of international cooperation is under attack.”
But he argued that climate action could provide a pathway to stability, energy security and economic prosperity, urging countries to treat it as a strategic tool rather than a burden.
“Climate action can deliver stability in an unstable world,” he said.
COP31 will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, where Stiell said governments must move beyond pledges and negotiations toward rapid implementation of commitments already agreed under the Paris Agreement.
Paris progress under threat
Stiell praised Türkiye’s efforts on zero-waste initiatives and its rapid expansion of renewable energy, and thanked Brazil, Azerbaijan and Australia for their roles in guiding the climate process across COP30 and COP29.
He said global climate cooperation had delivered significant results since the 2015 Paris Agreement, citing a tenfold increase in annual clean energy investment, from about $200 billion to more than $2 trillion.
n 2025, he said, clean energy investment continued to grow despite economic uncertainty and exceeded fossil fuel investment by more than double, while renewables overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity.
Stiell said most countries had submitted updated national climate plans aimed at boosting economic growth while helping to drive global emissions down for the first time.
However, he warned that progress was facing
“unprecedented threat” from actors seeking to deepen dependence on coal, oil and gas despite rising climate disasters and mounting costs for households and businesses.
“These forces are undeniably strong,” he said. “But they need not prevail.”
Push for implementation era
Stiell outlined what he called a “third era” of climate action, focused on scaling up delivery and accelerating finance, and said it must begin with meeting targets set during the first global stocktake in 2023.
Those include doubling global energy efficiency and tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, transitioning away from fossil fuels “in a just, fair and orderly manner,” strengthening climate resilience and ensuring more climate finance reaches vulnerable populations.
He said governments must be on track to meet these goals by the second global stocktake in 2028, laying the groundwork for stronger commitments by COP33.
“To see where we need to go, we must look at where we are, and where we’ve come from,” he said.
Finance, partnerships and coalitions
Stiell said the next phase would require rapidly building a pipeline of global climate projects through stronger partnerships between governments, financiers and the private sector.
He pointed to outcomes at COP30 in Brazil’s Belém, where he said the Action Agenda helped mobilise large-scale commitments including $1 trillion for clean electricity grids, alongside investments in forest protection and climate health.
He warned that countries stepping back from climate leadership risk losing out on a “goldmine” of jobs and economic growth to competitor economies.
“Those stepping back from climate leadership are simply gifting this goldmine of new jobs and wealth to competitor economies,” he said.
He stressed the need to “hyper-charge” climate finance, particularly for developing countries, by lowering the cost of capital and expanding both the quality and quantity of funding.
Multilateral Development Banks, he said, would be critical in scaling finance, attracting private investment, improving climate data and advancing reforms.
He also called for “coalitions of the willing” among ambitious countries to accelerate efforts to phase out fossil fuels and halt deforestation, and to advance roadmaps such as the “Baku to Belém Roadmap” aimed at mobilising $1.3 trillion.
Climate action framed as security
Stiell argued that climate policy was increasingly central to national security, warning that rising emissions would intensify famine, displacement and conflict.
“Let’s get real: for any leader who is serious about security, climate action is mission critical,” he said.
He said renewable energy offered the cheapest route to energy independence and protection against global shocks caused by wars and trade turmoil, while adaptation was essential to protect billions of lives from worsening climate impacts.
Stiell said climate action could also deliver immediate public benefits, including lower household energy bills, reduced pollution, job creation and expanded electricity access for more than 700 million people worldwide still living without power.
Antalya seen as key diplomatic platform
Calling Türkiye “a crossroads of the world and a centre of diplomacy,” Stiell said the country was well-positioned to host the next stage of climate negotiations and implementation.
“The UN is with Türkiye and Australia every step of the way,” he said, adding that COP31 must deliver tangible outcomes “for people, prosperity and planet.”