# COP31 midway negotiations update

**URL:** <https://connect.carbonbrief.org/t/cop31-midway-negotiations-update/156>\
**Category:** Policy\
**Created:** [November 14, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://connect.carbonbrief.org/t/cop31-midway-negotiations-update/156 "2026-11-14T15:52:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![simon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex008/user_avatar/connect.carbonbrief.org/simon/32/61_2.png) [@simon](https://connect.carbonbrief.org/u/simon)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://connect.carbonbrief.org/t/cop31-midway-negotiations-update/156/1 "2026-11-14T15:52:48Z")

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It’s the middle Saturday at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey and technical negotiations are due to come to a close – but for many tracks, agreement seems distant.

The “closing plenary” of technical negotiations under the “subsidiary bodies” (SBI 65 and SBSTA 65) was supposed to have started at 5pm, then 6pm – and now 8pm.

At the plenary, the SB chairs will report back on what has been agreed – and the much longer list of items on which disagreement remains. On some issues, they will agree to cut their losses and reconvene next year. For others, they will continue negotiating next week.

I’ve outlined the status of key negotiating tracks in the table below, with help from CB colleagues. Many are mired in brackets – and in some key areas there isn’t even a formal draft text yet.

(See our [text tracker](https://www.carbonbrief.org/interactive-tracking-negotiating-texts-at-the-cop31-climate-summit) for the latest public drafts. We’ve also added a behind-the-scenes finance draft obtained by my colleague @josh – see his [post](https://connect.carbonbrief.org/t/new-climate-finance-text-circulating/157) for more detail.)

 ![half-way-through-cop (2)](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex008/uploads/carbonbrief/original/1X/1a986fe39188b97149931cdcb1487c9adde77c3a.webp)

Gridlock is par for the course midway through the COP. But, in the corridors, several observers told Carbon Brief that this year is worse than usual.

When the plenary finally starts, the presidency will confirm that some technical tracks – including on the “[just transition mechanism](https://connect.carbonbrief.org/t/bam-just-transition-mechanism-hits-roadblocks/152/1)” – have agreed continue into next week.

He will also outline how he plans to take things forward next week, including on the “[cover decision](https://connect.carbonbrief.org/t/new-cop31-cover-decision-reflections-text/144/2)” that Australia wants to agree at COP31. (It won’t be acknowledged, but Australian and Turkish hopes of including the “35x35” [electrification target](https://connect.carbonbrief.org/t/update-who-supports-the-35-by-35-electrification-pledge/129) in this cover text appear to be fading.)

Other tricky topics will be entrusted with [ministerial pairs](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13Kk0XE0e-doqybTJcmU2KysXzvYZALM1uyr-kcsk8yY/edit?gid=1916959281#gid=1916959281), tasked with helping shepherd agreement.

With so much to resolve in the next week, it is perhaps no surprise that the Australian presidency is avoiding any predictions on when COP31 will come to an end.