November 6, 2026
ANTALYA, Türkiye (Nov. 6, 2026) – Ahead of this year’s 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, Conservation International's Executive Director and Chief External Affairs Officer Patricia Zurita issued the following statement:
“This year, the world crossed into a dangerous new era of climate change. In October, a UN report concluded that exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming is now unavoidable, underscoring the growing gap between global climate commitments and the action needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
“The question now is how far past this critical threshold we go, for how long, and, more importantly, the pathways to come back as soon as possible to the 1.5 degrees warming benchmark. There is evidence we can shape that answer. Current policies still put us on track for 2.6 degrees of warming by the end of the century, an alarming prospect but still lower than earlier projections by half a degree or more. And that is because countries have acted.
“Brazil, last year’s COP host, shows what that action looks like. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by more than 40 percent this year, the lowest level since satellite monitoring began in 1988. Smart policy and decisive action work.
“Nature also protects people from the changes already underway. While countries debate how to cut emissions, communities are living with a changing climate — from shifting monsoon seasons to melting ice sheets — and helping them adapt and respond is just as urgent. Island and coastal communities face rising seas, stronger storms, mountain and valley communities face flooding and erosion, and we all will feel those impacts long before any solutions take effect. Nature is the essential infrastructure they need.
“Mangroves and seagrasses and can blunt waves and storm surge, protect homes and support biodiversity. Well managed watersheds can protect communities from floods. Governments also need enhanced access to climate finance and ways to relieve growing debt burdens and more funding for adaptation and loss and damage.
“None of this works without the people who know these places best. Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples and local communities are already leading. Their knowledge and stewardship of lands and waters are critical to advancing effective solutions for nature and climate action.
“Nor can it succeed without funding. At COP31, we hope Parties will agree to unlock financing for nature. Only 3 percent of public climate funding goes directly to protecting and restoring nature. This must change. To meet global commitments under the Rio Conventions, investment in nature-based solutions, like protecting forests, restoring wetlands and protecting carbon-rich peatlands, must grow by more than two and a half times by 2030 to about US$ 571 billion. Carbon markets are a crucial part of the necessary financing, but only if the rules governing those markets allow high-integrity nature-based projects to flourish. Innovative funding mechanisms matter too, like the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), which rewards countries for keeping tropical forests standing.
“Parties can make the most of their resources by finding synergies across the climate, biodiversity, and land degradation Rio Convention treaties. They can make their investments go further by aligning efforts and improving efficiencies, including through identifying and reforming incentives and subsidies harmful to nature.
“Not every outcome needs to be negotiated inside the COP31 conference rooms. Governments, the private sector, and civil society have a powerful role to play outside of negotiations. For example, Brazil presented ahead of Antalya the Roadmap to Halt and Reverse Deforestation and Forest Degradation by 2030, detailing the big steps needed from governments, private sector and other stakeholders toward meeting this goal.
“The task is complex, but the direction is clear and the need is urgent. Let nature work for the climate, and humanity will benefit.”
###
About Conservation International: Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, for biodiversity and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous Peoples and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.