COP31 has finally kicked off in the sunny seaside resort of Antalya – at least for those lucky enough to have made it through the long queues snaking around the sprawling expo centre where the UN climate conference is taking place. The joint COP presidents, Türkiye’s Murat Kurum and Australia’s Chris Bowen, have presented their priorities to fellow diplomats – including a new goal on electrification, the establishment of a just transition mechanism and better access to climate finance – before the negotiations begin in earnest. First, the assembled government officials are waiting to find out whether issues around the summit’s agenda were effectively resolved over the weekend. African countries have pushed for additional items on adaptation finance and trade, while Nepal wants formal discussions on mountain issues in the wake of the devastating disaster that struck the country. Climate Home News understands that agreement has been reached to withdraw the African agenda request after late-night talks, although consultations on the mountain item were continuing on Monday morning. COP31 Briefing: What to expect from the Antalya climate summit? In his speech to the opening plenary, Australia’s environment minister Chris Bowen, who will preside over the negotiations in Antalya, outlined the COP co-presidents’ expectations for the cover decision that will offer a summary of the talks’ main achievements. ‘There will be no surprises. This is not about duplicating negotiations. It will not be a lengthy political declaration, but a focused, practical, concrete response to the challenges and opportunities before us,’ Bowen said. It will be ‘a decision that reflects the urgency of the climate challenge and the enormous opportunities created by the global transition. One that gives confidence to governments, investors, businesses, communities that the world is moving faster and working together,’ he added. Delegates queue to pick up their badges on the first day of COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye, November 9, 2026 (Photo: Vivian Chime/Climate Home News) Delegates queue to pick up their badges on the first day of COP31 in Antalya, Turkiye, November 9, 2026 (Photo: Vivian Chime/Climate Home News) UN: El Niño unleashing heat from hottest oceans ever measured As diplomats gather in Antalya, a new sobering update on the state of the Earth’s climate from the UN’s weather agency should focus minds. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says the world’s oceans now hold more heat than ever measured. A rapidly strengthening El Niño is releasing some of that heat into the atmosphere, pushing temperatures higher on a planet already baked by human-caused climate change. ‘El Niño and indeed the state of the global climate in 2026 gives new meaning to the phrase off the charts,’ said the WMO’s Secretary General Celeste Saulo. ‘El Niño doesn’t add new heat to the planet. It releases heat from the ocean, which is the warmest ever measured. There is simply more heat available to release.’ The UN agency says 2026 is on track to be one of the four warmest years on record globally. That would make 2023 to 2026 the four hottest years in 177 years of observations. The global average temperature from January to September was 1.47°C above pre-industrial levels, just below 2024’s record of 1.55°C. The agency expects the final figure for the year to be higher as one of the strongest El Niños on record takes hold. The current El Niño – a naturally occurring climate pattern – is expected to peak in December and continue until at least February 2027. As a result, the WMO expects global average temperatures to remain ‘exceptionally’ high through late 2026 and into early 2027. Oct 27, 2026 News National climate plans now promise half the emission cuts expected by UN The US exit from the Paris Agreement and weak new pledges leave 2035 emissions just 6% below 2019 levels, against 12% projected last year Read more Oct 28, 2026 News Tensions set to flare over trade at COP31 as China makes it a priority After difficult talks in Belém last year, trade is likely to remain a sticking point at COP31 despite Brazil’s efforts to contain the issue to a series of dialogues Read more Bill Hare, CEO of the global science and policy institute Climate Analytics, said that while El Niño will command the headlines, ‘no one should be in any doubt that the bigger villain is man-made climate change’. According to the WMO, El Niño typically adds around 0.1–0.2°C to annual global average temperatures. That is a fraction of the warming of more than 1.4°C recorded last year, which is primarily caused by greenhouse gas emissions mainly from burning fossil fuels. UN boss António Guterres said a ‘supersized El Niño is colliding with a planet already superheated by manmade climate change’. ‘Leaders must get serious by cutting emissions faster, accelerating a just transition from fossil fuels and delivering the finance and protection vulnerable countries need, ‘ he added. Graphic: WMO State of the Climate Update 2026 Graphic: WMO State of the Climate Update 2026 The post COP31 Bulletin Day 1: Australia says cover decision won’t spring ‘surprises’ appeared first on Climate Home News.