News and updates from the UN Climate Change Conference – Technology Industries of Finland at COP31
Technology Industries of Finland is participating in the UN Climate Change Conference in Antalya as part of the Finnish delegation, alongside other business representatives. Our representatives will share news, insights and updates from the conference in this regularly updated article.
Säkkinen Teppo
Heliste Petteri
Updates from COP31 – Day 2
Discussions on electrification dominated Tuesday’s programme. At ministerial-level discussions, several countries expressed support for the “35-by-35” target, which aims to increase electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. Australia, which co-chairs COP31, expressed strong support for the target, as did Ethiopia, the incoming COP32 Presidency. Germany, Brazil and Fiji also voiced their support.
Dan Jørgensen, the EU Commissioner for Energy, did not explicitly endorse the target in his speech, although he stressed that electrification is essential for ensuring security and economic resilience. Similarly, the United Kingdom stopped short of explicitly supporting the target but emphasised the importance of electrification based specifically on clean energy sources.
Clean energy was also a key topic in discussions on roadmaps for transitioning away from fossil fuels. At a high-level event hosted by Brazil, UN Secretary-General António Guterres somewhat surprisingly challenged current and future COP Presidencies to continue working on these roadmaps. Finland’s own roadmap was also presented as part of the programme at the Finnish pavilion.
Discussions on these topics are expected to intensify over the next two days as the Leaders’ Summit, bringing together heads of state, government leaders and ministers, gets underway. Finland will be represented by President of the Republic Alexander Stubb.
At the technical level, negotiations are taking place on the future of the Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme, better known as the Mitigation Work Programme, whose continuation is now under discussion. Its main purpose is to accelerate emission reductions to achieve the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature goal.
However, views on the future of the programme remain divided. At the Bonn Climate Change Conference in the spring, which prepared the ground for decisions at COP31, countries failed to reach a formal common position.
The main disagreements concern the duration of the programme’s extension — whether it should continue until 2030 or beyond — and its scope, including which topics should be covered. In addition, many countries want the programme to remain non-binding and focused specifically on facilitating cooperation.
Inside COP31 – Day 2
Traffic is moving smoothly again, despite the first day of the leaders’ summit. Türkiye clearly knows how to solve problems quickly, even when unexpected challenges arise!
The chaos of the first few days is also beginning to settle down, and the atmosphere is becoming calmer as everyone gets used to the daily routines of COP31.
Today’s highlight at the Finnish pavilion was the launch event for Finland’s roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Representatives from German and Dutch ministries shared their experiences of preparing similar roadmaps. The event attracted considerable interest, not only among those working at the Finnish pavilion but also from international visitors.
In the evening, the entire Finnish delegation was invited to a cocktail reception hosted by the Finnish Embassy in Ankara, so the pavilion became quiet earlier than yesterday.
President Alexander Stubb also joined the reception directly after delivering Finland’s national statement. He reminded business representatives and negotiators that they are doing important work, even though climate issues have not been particularly high on the political agenda recently.
Stubb also mentioned that he had highlighted Finnish companies in his national statement, sending a clear signal that the pioneering role of Finnish businesses is important to Finland.
Updates from COP31 – Day 1
The 2026 UN Climate Change Conference, COP31, officially opened on Monday, 9 November 2026. The opening statements by the COP31 Presidencies, Türkiye and Australia, and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) highlighted familiar themes: implementing emission reduction commitments, electrification and adaptation to climate change.
Over the coming days, countries will present concrete plans for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Work on these plans was initiated at COP30 in Belém, where Brazil, the COP30 Presidency, recently published a global roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Several countries, including Finland, will present their own national roadmaps during COP31.
Electrification has emerged as a theme that could bring together countries that otherwise disagree on climate policy. In his opening statement, Türkiye’s Minister of Environment Murat Kurum emphasised the goal of increasing electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035, known as the 35-by-35 target.
He also highlighted that electrification, together with reductions in methane emissions, could help limit global warming by 0.5°C.
Inside COP31 – Day 1
On a practical level, the first day was marked by busy last-minute preparations as participants arrived at the conference venue. While the final preparations were still underway at the Finnish pavilion, some participants had to wait up to four hours to collect their accreditation badges.
Despite being the world’s largest climate event, the arrangements at the conference venue have otherwise worked well, and the pavilions were completed on schedule. The atmosphere has been positive and enthusiastic.
Traffic, however, has been a major challenge. Morning journeys to the conference venue have sometimes taken more than two hours, and the longest queues for accreditation badges have lasted up to four hours. This has caused significant difficulties, as some speakers have been unable to reach their events on time.
At the Finnish pavilion, preparations also turned into action as the official opening ceremony took place on Tuesday afternoon. The event began with a speech by Finland’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio.
The programme also featured a keynote speech by Catherine McKenna, Canada’s former Minister of Environment and Climate Change. McKenna was the highlight of the event and an excellent speaker. She spoke about the importance of cooperation and alliances, as well as the essential role of women in driving climate action.
Technology Industries of Finland is participating in COP31
The world’s largest climate event, COP31, began on 9 November in Antalya, Türkiye. The annual conference brings together world leaders, governments, businesses, cities, research institutions and non-governmental organisations from around the world to discuss and agree on measures to tackle climate change.
Technology Industries of Finland is taking part in the conference, represented by Teppo Säkkinen, Director, Sustainable Growth, and Petteri Heliste, Adviser.
Finland has its own pavilion at COP31, providing a platform to showcase Finnish climate and energy solutions and innovations for sustainable growth. Technology Industries of Finland’s member companies Outokumpu and Mäkelä Alu are among the participants at the Finnish pavilion.
The host country, Türkiye, has proposed a new global electrification target, aiming to increase electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. Technology Industries of Finland supports this indicative target.
“The electrification target is one of the most interesting issues at COP31, as it could bring countries together in a new way. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted the importance of energy security in moving away from fossil fuels. Electrification is therefore seen not only as a way to reduce emissions, but also as a means of improving energy efficiency and reducing harmful dependencies,” Säkkinen says.
At COP31, Technology Industries of Finland is highlighting the carbon handprint – the solutions Finnish companies provide to reduce emissions worldwide. Finland has one of the world’s most ambitious carbon neutrality targets and is among the leading countries in clean technology innovation. Technology Industries of Finland supports the climate targets of Finland and the EU, as well as efforts to limit the rise in global average temperatures.
Turning climate targets into concrete action
According to Murat Kurum, Türkiye’s Minister of Environment and President of COP31, the main priority is to turn existing climate commitments into concrete action. Türkiye has promoted the conference as an “implementation COP”. No major new breakthroughs are expected, as negotiations will focus on implementing previously agreed decisions.
In addition to electrification, Türkiye has introduced several initiatives, including measures to promote the circular economy. Alongside the official negotiations, the host country has launched a business forum, in which Technology Industries of Finland has also participated.
Under the agreed division of responsibilities with Türkiye, the negotiations are led by Australia’s Minister for the Environment, Chris Bowen, who serves as President of Negotiations for COP31. Key topics include climate finance and adaptation to climate change.
A leaders’ summit will also take place on 11–12 November, bringing together heads of state and government from nearly 80 countries. Finland will be represented at the summit by President of the Republic Alexander Stubb, and several Finnish ministers will also visit the conference.
We will share news and updates from the conference and negotiations in this article throughout COP31, from 9 to 20 November.
Further information
Säkkinen Teppo
Director, Sustainable Growth – Sustainable Growth Technology Industries of Finland