Elections, protests and two COPs: what people want now
05/11/2026
Dear Planetary Steward,
The UN biodiversity talks in Yerevan have closed, and COP31 opens in Antalya next week. In between, the political ground keeps shifting. US voters have signalled a clear appetite for change in the midterms, where the economy topped voters’ concerns. We were encouraged to see the environmental and livelihood impacts of AI also become a factor, as communities weighed rising electricity bills and water use against the rapid expansion of data centers. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands of young people are protesting rising living costs across Europe; and in Brazil, where the cost of living was a key campaign issue, voters have chosen leadership that will also shape the Amazon rainforest’s future. What ties them together is affordability. And rising living costs across the world are the backdrop to this year’s global talks on nature and climate.
COP17 in Yerevan closed on October 31 with the adoption of the Yerevan Pathway, a plan to speed up action on the world’s 2030 nature goals. Countries agreed to tackle subsidies that harm nature, align national budgets with the framework and strengthen monitoring, with nearly US$2 billion in new funding pledged. Rules were also agreed for the new permanent body for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. But the world is still off track on 22 of 23 biodiversity targets and finance remains far short of what’s needed. As the UN’s biodiversity chief, Astrid Schomaker, put it: “The test is not what governments agreed in Yerevan, but what they change when they return home.”
The same test will now apply to the COP31 talks in Antalya in Türkiye which run from November 9 to 20. With Australia leading the negotiations, it has been framed as an “Implementation COP”, with a focus on turning national climate plans into measurable progress and scaling up finance as well as strengthening adaptation and resilience.More than a decade after the world celebrated the Paris Agreement, COP31 arrives at a time when, for many people, paying the bills feels more urgent than climate change. In different countries with different politics, people everywhere are responding to the same pressures: higher prices and a sense that systems aren’t working for them. Building a stable planet is the foundation of affordability and wellbeing. Fossil fuel price shocks have been a major driver of the cost-of-living crisis, while more than 90% of new renewable power added worldwide in 2025 was cheaper than the lowest-cost fossil fuel alternative, saving an estimated US$480 billion in fuel costs. Economies that use fewer resources, waste less and protect the natural systems we depend on, are more stable and more resilient to price shocks.
Connecting affordability, security and a healthy planet is how we build a just world on a safe planet. Over the next three weeks, Alliance members will be in Antalya making that case. As always, we invite you to connect and collaborate.
With all our best,
Will Tucker, Co-Director (Communications and Resource Mobilization), and Sebastian Schienle, Co-Director (Partnerships and Programs)
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