COP31: what it is and the UK’s priorities
What was announced
An explainer on the UN's annual climate conference and the government's priorities for COP31.
Key points, in the publisher's words
- COP31 is the United Nations’ annual climate change conference.
- It is the largest international summit in the world where countries come together to agree how to tackle climate change and deal with its effects.
- The conference will be hosted in Antalya, Türkiye from 9 to 20 November.
Figures in this announcement
Each line is quoted from the original. Figures are as the publisher stated them on the day.
- “Interim data from the UK Health Security Agency estimates that there were 2,877 heat-associated deaths from the May and June 2026 heatwaves alone.”
- “The UK has already cut its carbon emissions by 54% since 1990 , while the economy has grown by around 85% in that time.”
- “Around 2 million electric vehicles are now registered on UK roads Heat pump sales reached over 100,000 in 2025.”
- “There were also 269,000 solar panel installations in 2025 – the highest number recorded in a single year In 2008, the UK became the first country to set legally binding limits on its carbon emissions through the Climate Change Act.”
Who and where
People
- Ed Miliband (MP for Doncaster North (Labour)) · more news
- Miatta Fahnbulleh (MP for Peckham (Labour (Co-op))) · more news
- Katie White (MP for Leeds North West (Labour)) · more news
- Stephen Morgan (MP for Portsmouth South (Labour)) · more news
- Lucy Rigby (MP for Northampton North (Labour)) · more news
UK bodies of power
- Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (UK government department) · more news
- UK Health Security Agency (executive agency) · more news
Global and regional bodies
- United Nations (Level 8 of 10) · more news
Countries
Constituencies of the MPs named: Doncaster North, Peckham, Leeds North West, Portsmouth South, Northampton North.
Where this sits in the 10 levels of power
- Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies · news at this level
- Level 6: National government · news at this level
Topics, as GOV.UK files them: Climate change and energy.
Receipt
- Original: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cop31-what-it-is-and-the-uks-priorities
- Published 2026-11-09 16:05:58 UTC
- Read by this site 2026-11-09 16:15:46 UTC from GOV.UK
- Saved copy: receipt 11217, with its SHA-256 fingerprint
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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