Engagement at UN climate conference remains urgent despite countries’ competing priorities: Grace Fu

COP31 is the annual United Nations climate conference, formally called the 31st Conference of the Parties. It brings governments together to negotiate shared efforts against climate change. Nearly 200 countries are expected to attend the meeting in Turkey over two weeks from Nov 9.

The conference covers major parts of climate action, including mitigation, adaptation and climate finance. Mitigation limits or absorbs planet-warming greenhouse gases. Adaptation addresses damage from climate change, such as rising seas and floods. Finance helps developing countries respond and shift away from fossil fuels.

Countries meet because no government can settle these issues alone. They must discuss common targets, funding and ways to measure progress. At COP31, Singapore wants to participate fully, especially on adaptation indicators, ocean concerns and finance. The meeting also aims to keep climate action on the global political agenda despite competing priorities.

Fu says climate action remains urgent because climate damage is already affecting people directly. At the same time, governments face energy shortages, inflation, jobs concerns, social unrest, security worries and higher defence spending. These pressures can push climate policy down the political agenda.

Energy security makes the challenge especially immediate. Fu described countries running out of fuel, truckers queuing and people taking their unhappiness to the streets. Developed countries also have less fiscal room because defence and other priorities are demanding attention. These pressures compete with climate spending and negotiations.

Yet recent disasters show that postponement carries serious risks. Nepal’s glacial floods killed about 1,500 people and affected at least 80,000. Fu argues that leaders must keep engaging through COP31. Bringing businesses, policymakers and researchers can help maintain climate talks as a useful multilateral platform.

The article presents climate risks as large, immediate and damaging to entire communities. On Aug 26, Nepal was hit by glacial floods that killed about 1,500 people and affected at least 80,000. These figures show that climate hazards are not distant or abstract problems.

The floods also destroyed homes, schools and infrastructure, including hydropower facilities. That means the damage reached housing, education, energy systems and local livelihoods. Elsewhere, rising seas and high tides are disrupting livelihoods and causing property losses, especially for island states such as Singapore and Pacific islands.

These examples reinforce why COP31 remains important. Countries are negotiating how to reduce climate drivers and adapt to damage already occurring. The scale of the losses strengthens calls for adaptation planning, useful indicators and climate finance. It also makes continued political engagement harder to dismiss as optional.

Mitigation and adaptation are the two connected prongs of climate action. Mitigation tackles human-driven climate change by absorbing or limiting the production of planet-warming greenhouse gases. It aims to reduce the forces causing further warming.

Adaptation responds to the effects that climate change is already causing or is expected to cause. The article gives examples such as preparing for sea-level rise, floods and other damage. Adaptation can include strategies, indicators and national plans that help countries measure and manage their vulnerability.

Both approaches matter, but they solve different problems. Singapore says climate discussions have focused too long on mitigation and wants adaptation included in all strategies. Rising seas and high tides are already disrupting livelihoods and causing property losses. At COP31, Singapore wants to help shape adaptation indicators and contribute to knowledge development.

When countries delay adaptation and emissions cuts, they remain exposed to climate hazards while greenhouse gases continue driving human-caused climate change. The article links this exposure to floods, rising sea levels, disrupted livelihoods and property losses. Delayed action therefore leaves less protection when hazards strike.

Nepal’s glacial floods illustrate the consequences. They killed about 1,500 people, affected at least 80,000 and destroyed homes, schools and hydropower facilities. In island states, high tides and sea-level rise are already disrupting livelihoods and causing property loss. These impacts reach people, public services and infrastructure.

The article does not quantify how delay changes future damages, but it makes the urgency clear. Countries need both mitigation and adaptation. They also need detailed national adaptation plans, indicators and finance. Fu says meaningful engagement at COP31 is better than disinterest while climate impacts continue to unfold.

Adaptation plans matter because countries need to identify climate damage, set priorities and decide what action is required. Indicators add a way to measure progress. Without this detail, governments and funders cannot clearly assess whether adaptation is advancing or what support is needed.

At COP30 in Brazil in 2025, countries adopted 59 adaptation indicators. These are intended to help countries determine how to adapt and measure progress. However, technical work to operationalise the indicators is not complete. Singapore wants to help shape how they are finalised and implemented because it will eventually adopt them.

Fu links adaptation planning directly to climate finance. She says no financing discussion can proceed without a comprehensive, detailed national adaptation plan. Developing countries are seeking clarity on finance targets and delivery, while calls have been made to at least triple adaptation finance by 2035. Better plans can make funding discussions more concrete.

Moving away from fossil fuels supports mitigation, which tackles human-driven climate change by absorbing or limiting the production of planet-warming greenhouse gases. Fossil fuels are energy sources whose use produces such emissions, so replacing them with lower-emission options can reduce the climate pressure they create.

The transition is difficult because countries still depend on reliable energy for transport, homes, businesses and public services. Fu described countries running out of fuel, truckers queuing and people taking their unhappiness to the streets. These events show how energy shortages can quickly become a political and social problem.

Fu therefore expects the transition to be as difficult, or more difficult, than before. Governments are also dealing with inflation, jobs, security, defence and reduced fiscal capacity. COP31 must keep countries engaged while they address immediate energy needs and negotiate longer-term climate action.