What happened

The 31st UN climate change conference, COP31, takes place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. Ahead of it, the European Commission set out what the EU will push for in a press release on 5 November 2026. The main points:

  • Electrification and clean energy. The Commission says the economic case is getting stronger for "clean electrification", renewable energy, transitioning away from fossil fuels and mobilising investment. Its Electrify Now campaign, launched earlier this year with international partners, will continue at the summit.
  • Carbon pricing. As co-chair of the Open Coalition on Compliance Carbon Markets, set up at COP30, the EU will promote carbon pricing as a tool for cutting emissions and drawing in investment.
  • Adaptation. EU negotiators will work on putting into use the climate adaptation indicators agreed at COP30, so countries can track how well prepared they are for floods, heat and drought.
  • Climate finance. The Commission says the EU and its member states provided €32.3 billion of public climate finance in 2025 and mobilised a further €9.3 billion of private finance. At COP31 it will focus on delivering the finance goal agreed in 2024.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak at the Antalya Leaders' Summit on 11 November, and Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra leads the EU negotiating team. For the UK, the government's COP31 pavilion is sponsored by Kraken Technologies, National Grid, Octopus Energy and SSE and will be open for the whole conference. On the opening day the World Meteorological Organization plans to launch its State of Climate update 2026.

What it means for your business

No new rules on day one. What countries agree at a COP is put into practice later, through each government's own laws and policies. COP30 in Belém set the tone for this one, as our post on the COP30 fossil fuel roadmap explains.

Electrification is the common thread. The EU's message lines up with the UK's own direction: more electric heat, vehicles and industry. For businesses that means the choice of boiler, van or machinery made in the next few years is likely to be judged against an electric alternative, by customers and by policy.

Carbon prices are spreading. The more countries price carbon, the more carbon shows up in what goods cost and in what buyers ask about. If you import steel, aluminium, cement, fertiliser or hydrogen, our UK CBAM guide explains the border charge coming to the UK.

Climate risk keeps rising up the agenda. Work on adaptation indicators is a reminder that large customers and lenders increasingly ask how weather could disrupt a supplier. Our guide to a climate risk assessment shows what a simple one covers.

A worked example: three diesel vans go electric

Take an illustrative business with 3 average vans (up to 3.5 tonnes), each driving 15,000 miles a year. The factors are the 2026 UK government conversion factors.

  • Diesel: 45,000 miles, 18.62 tonnes CO2e a year (Scope 1).
  • Battery electric: 45,000 miles, 3.09 tonnes CO2e a year (Scope 2, location-based).
  • Cut in fleet emissions: about 83%.

The electric figure falls further as the grid gets cleaner, which is why electrification is at the centre of the talks. Your own result depends on the vans, the routes and where you charge.

What to do now

  1. List the equipment due for replacement. Boilers, vans and plant reaching the end of their life are the cheapest moment to switch to electric.
  2. Measure your fuel and power use. Your bills and mileage logs are enough to work out Scope 1 and 2. Our guide to Scope 1, 2 and 3 explains how each counts.
  3. Watch the outcome. The summit ends on 20 November. Any deal on fossil fuels, carbon markets or electrification will feed into UK policy over the following months, and we will report what changes.