COP31: HOMEF demands clarity over fossil fuel language in ongoing climate talks in Turkey

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has expressed concern over the lack of clarity in language around fossil fuels in ongoing climate negotiations at the 31st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.

The environmental organisation said the first three days of negotiations have exposed a widening gap between political commitments and the urgent actions required to address the climate crisis.

In a statement, HOMEF criticised what it described as the continued reluctance of some countries to support clear commitments towards ending fossil fuel production, warning that the influence of oil and gas interests could undermine the outcome of the negotiations.

The organisation’s executive director, Nnimmo Bassey, said fossil fuel-producing countries are already attempting to remove language that would require a transition away from fossil fuels.

“The first three days in Antalya have felt like watching a slow-motion dance where the music is the siren call of our burning planet, yet the dancers, our leaders, refuse to change their steps.

“We are hearing about electrification targets, but we are silent on the source of the electrons. We cannot electrify our way out of a climate crisis while we continue to pour oil and gas into the destruction engine,” Mr Bassey said.

HOMEF also questioned the COP31 presidency’s flagship announcement on Energy Day, known as the ‘35×35’ electrification pledge, which seeks to increase electricity’s share of total energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that electrification and other topical issues are expected to be part of the contentious issues on the negotiation table at this year’s conference.

The conference is expected to place greater emphasis on expanding electricity access, strengthening clean energy systems and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

A proposed target of meeting 35 per cent of final global energy demand through electricity by 2035 is also expected to feature in discussions around the presidency’s implementation agenda.

The broader focus is on moving beyond high-level commitments towards practical roadmaps for clean power generation, green industrialisation, improved electricity grids and energy efficiency across buildings and other sectors.

On Wednesday, HOMEF argued that the commitment will have limited climate benefits if the additional electricity is generated from fossil fuels rather than renewable energy sources.

It also raised concerns over the absence of a clear list of countries supporting the pledge, describing the lack of transparency as an indication of insufficient political commitment.

Mr Bassey called on world leaders to move beyond voluntary commitments and establish a binding pathway for phasing out fossil fuels.

He said COP31 must demand a definitive phase-out of fossil fuels, anchored in equity and the protection of vulnerable communities.

“If COP31 is to be anything more than a gathering of comfortable compromisers, it must unequivocally demand a definitive, binding phase-out of fossil fuels.

“Climate justice is not found in voluntary roadmaps that oil lobbyists can ignore; it is found in the courage to stop the extraction that is silencing the voices of the most vulnerable and dismantling the future of our Mother Earth,” he said.

The organisation also called for the Belém-Antalya Mechanism (BAM) to be strengthened into an enforceable framework that can translate previously agreed climate principles and historical responsibilities into concrete action.

According to HOMEF, the mechanism should go beyond a platform for sharing climate data and build the institutional capacity to ensure countries implement their climate commitments.

On climate finance, the organisation criticised the continued reliance on loans to support developing countries’ climate action, arguing that such arrangements deepen the debt burden of countries that have contributed least to the climate crisis.

It called for climate finance to be provided primarily through grants and public funding directed towards genuine mitigation and adaptation efforts rather than projects that serve private commercial interests.

HOMEF warned that the window for meaningful climate intervention is narrowing as countries work towards the 2028 global stocktake.

It urged negotiators to use the Antalya conference to establish a transparent, equitable pathway to end the production and use of coal, oil and gas, rather than relying on long-term voluntary commitments.

The organisation maintained that the global response to climate change must prioritise protecting people and the environment over corporate interests.