Arianna Griffa
Senior Policy Manager - Global
Global economies are gearing up for the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31), set to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, this November. To help you make sense of the jargon, we have created a simple guide to the climate terms you will most likely encounter.
Adaptation and Resilience
'Adaptation' and 'resilience' represent related but distinct strategies for addressing the physical impacts of climate change. Adaptation involves reducing exposure or vulnerability to climate risks. In contrast, resilience is the "capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from the impact of hazardous climatic events while incurring minimal damage".
Adaptation focuses on adjusting to climate risks, while resilience is withstanding and recovering from them. Together, they offer a comprehensive approach to managing climate risks.
Belém Mission to 1.5
Launched at COP30 in Belém under the Global Mutirão Decision, the Belém Mission to 1.5 is a presidency-led, action-oriented platform (COP29–COP31 troika: Azerbaijan, Brazil, Türkiye and Australia) designed to enable and accelerate the ambition, implementation and investment in countries’ NDCs and NAPs across mitigation and adaptation. Through 2026 it will run inclusive consultations and stakeholder engagements, culminating in a pre-COP31 report that sets out high-impact opportunities, barriers and evidence-based solutions to keep 1.5°C within reach and strengthen adaptation and resilience
➡️ Read the IIGCC’s submission to the UNFCCC consultation on the Belém Mission to 1.5.
Baku to Belém Roadmap to USD 1.3 trillion
A COP29-COP30 presidency initiative to mobilise at least USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035 for climate action in developing countries, the Baku to Belém Roadmap was finalised as a COP29 outcome and published just ahead of COP30, while the two parallel COP30 presidency roadmaps on transitioning away from fossil fuels and forests were agreed as COP30 outcomes and will be published at COP31. It focuses on reforming multilateral finance, improving access, strengthening domestic capacity and unlocking large-scale investment to implement NDCs and NAPs - complementing, but distinct from, the USD 300 billion/year New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) agreed at COP29.
➡️ See the Roadmap and the other COP30 presidency roadmaps: unfccc.int/cop30/cop30-presidency-roadmaps
➡️ Read IIGCC’s response to the UNFCCC consultation on COP30 roadmaps and our COP30 outcomes summary.
BTR – Biennial Transparency Reports
Parties to the Paris Agreement are required to submit a Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) every two years under the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), which is a UNFCCC tool that outlines how countries report on their progress in addressing climate change. The first submission was scheduled for 31 December 2024 and the next report would be submitted in 2026.
The BTR replaces previous reporting mechanisms like Biennial Update Reports (BURs) and Biennial Reports (BRs) to ensure more comprehensive and standardised data for global climate action. It aims to provide detailed information on national greenhouse inventories, progress in achieving NDCs, climate change impacts, adaptation measures and more.
Climate finance
Climate finance refers to financial resources – such as loans, investments, grants, and public budgets – used to support climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that while global capital is sufficient to close the climate investment gap, major barriers prevent its effective redirection toward climate goals. The challenge is not just raising funds but aligning existing financial flows with climate objectives.
COP31 Action Agenda
The COP31 Action Agenda is COP presidency's programme to mobilise non-Party stakeholders – businesses, investors, cities, regions, civil society and NGOs - around coordinated, scalable climate action that accelerates implementation of the Paris Agreement and prior COP decisions. For COP31, the Agenda is organised around 10 priority themes:
- Clean Energy Transition and Electrification
- Zero Waste and Methane Reduction
- Climate-Resilient Cities and Built Environment
- Green Industrialisation
- Youth and Education
- Food Security
- Oceans and Seas
- Dynamic and Resilient Health Systems
- Rio Synergies
- Climate Implementation Bridge - to translate national priorities into finance-ready projects
A headline goal is the "35 by 35" electrification target, calling for electricity to meet 35% of global final energy consumption by 2035 (up from around 20% today), alongside measurable 2035 targets on waste, buildings and circular materials.
COP – Conference of the Parties
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the annual climate summit under the UNFCCC, where countries meet to advance global climate action. Hosting duties rotate among five UN regional groups – namely African States, Asia-Pacific states, Eastern European states, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and Other states – to ensure balanced representation.
GGA – Global Goal on Adaptation
The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) is a Paris Agreement commitment to strengthen resilience, reduce vulnerability and support sustainable development in the face of climate impacts, putting adaptation on an equal footing with mitigation. It encourages country-led, context-specific solutions that prioritise the needs of vulnerable groups and aims to drive political action and scale finance for adaptation.
GIA – Global Implementation Accelerator
Launched at COP30 under the Global Mutirão Decision, the Global Implementation Accelerator (GIA) is a cooperative, facilitative and voluntary initiative steered by the COP30 and COP31 Presidencies to accelerate on=the-ground delivery of countries' NDCs and NAPs. It focuses on high-impact, scalable solutions (e.g., methane reduction, nature-based carbon removal) and provides technical assistance, knowledge-sharing and coordination with the COP31 Action Agenda, with information sessions in 2026 and a report/high-level meeting at COP31.
➡️ See the UNFCCC page: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/conferences/un-climate-change-conference-antalya-november-2026/global-implementation-accelerator
GST – United Nations Global Stocktake
The Global Stocktake (GST) is the Paris Agreement's five-yearly review of collective progress on mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation (including finance), informing countries' next NDCs and long-term strategies. The first GST's outcomes were adopted at COP28 and operationalised through the Global Mutirão Decision at COP30. The second GST cycle formally begins at COP31 and will conclude at COP33 (2028).
Just Transition
A just transition is one that keeps the interests of those most affected by the climate transition – such as workers, vulnerable communities, suppliers of goods and services, and others – at its core. It recognises that decarbonising the economy may disproportionately impact certain communities and workers, and steps must be taken to make the transition as fair and inclusive as possible. This includes addressing equity and fairness, promoting social inclusion, creating economic opportunities, and upholding human rights.
Loss and Damage
Loss and Damage refers to the harms caused by climate change that cannot be avoided through mitigation or adaptation. It includes both economic losses (like damaged infrastructure) and non-economic losses (like loss of culture or biodiversity), especially affecting vulnerable countries least responsible for climate change.
Mitigation
Climate change mitigation refers to the actions taken to reduce or prevent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere, which will prevent the planet from warming further. This also includes actions that enhance carbon sinks that absorb more carbon from the atmosphere.
NAPs – National Adaptation Plans
National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) are strategic frameworks that are developed by countries to address and manage the impact of climate change. They guide nations to identify medium- and long-term needs to adapt to changing climate conditions, reduce vulnerabilities and build resilience across various sectors.
NDCs – Nationally Determined Contributions
A country's individual, self-defined national climate pledges as part of the Paris Agreement. NDCs detail what a country will do to help meet the global goal to limit temperature increases to 1.5°C by 2050, including how it will adapt to climate impacts and ensure sufficient finance to support these efforts.
Each participating country is required to establish an NDC and update it every five years "to reflect the highest possible ambition", with the next wave due by the end of 2025.
Paris Agreement
A legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties (countries) at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. The overarching goal of the agreement is “to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
TFFF – Tropical Forests Forever Fund
The Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) is a proposed USD 125 billion investment fund that will rely on both public and private investment and is designed to incentivise tropical countries to support forest conservation. The fund, proposed by Brazil in 2023 at COP28, aims to provide a long-term source of finance for countries that maintain their tropical forest cover.
UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The UNFCCC, established in 1994, is the foundation of global climate action, with 198 member countries. It oversees climate negotiations, maintains the registry of national climate pledges (NDCs), and provides technical analysis. Ahead of each COP, it hosts preparatory sessions to shape discussions and ensure progress on international climate commitments.
We will be publishing more resources and guides to help you navigate COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. Stay tuned to IIGCC for updates – follow us on LinkedIn and X.