COP31 Chief Says Rich Nations Should Spend More on Climate Than Defence

Murat Kurum, Turkey's climate minister and president-designate for COP31, said wealthy countries should spend far more on the climate crisis than the 5% of GDP that NATO members have pledged for defence. He spoke in an interview published 9 October 2026, weeks before COP31 opens in Antalya, Turkey, in November. The Guardian

Kurum said "the climate issue is the security issue". He told the Guardian the world was "already in a transition" away from fossil fuels.

Turkey will host COP31, the annual UN climate summit, after beating Australia for the presidency. Australia will act as "president of negotiations" in Antalya, leaving leadership of the talks split between the two countries. The Guardian

The run-up has played out in the Pacific. The Pre-COP preparatory meeting was held in Nadi, Fiji, with Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined by 13 national leaders. About 4,000 people gathered in Fiji ahead of the year-end summit. Kurum said holding the Pre-COP in the Pacific was intentional.

Kurum presented the COP31 action agenda in Fiji, which hosted the second Pre-COP meeting. He chaired the Pacific summit that opened the sessions. During the visit he met Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown.

Tuvalu hosted a COP31 leaders' event from 5 to 8 October 2026 in partnership with Australia. Kurum was due to attend the leaders' programme in Tuvalu on Tuesday 6 October and visit the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project with leaders.

The talks meet as the Paris Agreement goal of holding warming to 1.5C stays under pressure. A recent UN Environment Programme report warned warming would reach at least 1.8C even in the most optimistic future, above the 1.5C goal. Kurum had earlier urged countries to "electrify daily life" by moving all sectors to electricity before COP31.

The broader context here is an effort to describe climate finance, or funds from wealthy to vulnerable nations for climate action, as a security duty rather than optional aid. By citing the NATO spending pledge, Kurum gives donor governments a direct comparison. It also shifts the language from sharing a burden to protecting themselves, an argument Pacific island governments have made for years.

Looking at what this means for Antalya, much will depend on whether that language connects the two leadership roles. Turkey holds the presidency, Australia guides the negotiations, and the Pacific meetings have raised expectations on adaptation and the shift from fossil fuels. The question is whether security language leads to stronger funding pledges than in the past, and whether Kurum's claim of an ongoing transition stands up to scrutiny from states that still rely on fossil fuel income.