World leaders are beginning formal discussions at the United Nations climate conference, COP31, in Türkiye, amid growing concerns that global efforts to tackle climate change remain inadequate and too slow.

The talks, starting Wednesday (November 11), aim to secure concrete measures to address global warming. However, expectations for significant progress remain uncertain, as previous climate summits have faced criticism over unfulfilled commitments and limited results.

At the 2023 climate conference in Dubai, delegates agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, including coal, oil and gas, which are major drivers of climate change. However, subsequent conferences in Azerbaijan and Brazil failed to reach significant agreements on emissions reductions.

The conference in Brazil last year ended with a compromise deal pledging additional financial support to help climate-vulnerable countries adapt to the impacts of climate change.

This year's COP31 conference, hosted by Türkiye with Australia leading the negotiations, officially opened on Monday amid concerns that global action is falling short of what is needed to address the climate crisis.

Scientists warn that global temperatures are likely to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels recorded in the early 1800s. Limiting the temperature rise to this threshold was a key objective of the 2015 Paris Agreement and remains central to international climate negotiations.

The discussions are also taking place amid the war in Iran, which has driven up global prices of gasoline, oil and petroleum-based products, including fertilisers and pesticides. The price increases have prompted governments to reconsider their energy policies and investments in renewable sources such as wind and solar power.

“We don't need more promises, we need plans,” said John Kerry, former US secretary of state and presidential climate envoy.

The report further notes that the United States, the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China, is absent from COP31 for the second consecutive year. US President Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax, targeted offshore wind projects and rolled back regulations aimed at limiting power-plant emissions.