The international community will gather November 9-20 in Antalya, Türkiye, for the 31st United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, also known as COP31. As in years past, Texas Impact will be participating in the COP as the only state-level, faith-based credentialed NGO observers and sharing video with the Chronicle from the conference.
Texas Impact joins a cohort of experienced faith advocates from around the world in traveling to the meeting. As leaders of denominations, social action groups, and mission organizations, we hope to remind the parties in the official negotiating rooms that the need for climate action is not an isolated technical or scientific matter, but a humanitarian and ethical imperative of the highest order.
U.S. faith participation in COP this year is urgently important. That’s partly precisely because our national leaders are staying away – effectively sidelining Americans in a critical global conversation that has existential implications for all people.
It’s also important because the emerging agendas and work plans for this year’s COP reveal serious conflicts between interest groups, nagging doubts about the efficacy of multilateral negotiations in the current global political environment, and – most significant for faith communities – growing tensions between the goals of economic leaders and demands for equity and justice from marginalized groups like women, youth, and those living in areas already disproportionately impacted by climate change.
Our national leaders are staying away from COP31 – effectively sidelining Americans in a critical global conversation that has existential implications for all people.
The issues in play on the global stage – from interest group conflicts to political conditions to justice and equity – also are in play right here in Texas. Local fights over data centers are one potent example. And Texans, like all Americans, certainly are experiencing climate impacts on our weather.
The United States is uniquely positioned with respect to climate change, both as a primary emitter of the greenhouse gases causing human-induced climate change and as a wealthy nation with the capacity to drive mitigation and adaptation worldwide.
And we were on track to be climate leaders: The U.S. set ambitious emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement, and operationalized those targets through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Unfortunately, the current administration has undone decades of American leadership to address climate change. The U.S. has withdrawn not only from the Paris Agreement but from the entire United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – although subnational leaders continue to participate robustly.
Some in the U.S. are skeptical about the COP process, but it is vitally important that Americans resist the urge to disengage.
The COP is being referred to as a “climate conference,” and that is not accurate. It’s a multilateral negotiation. It’s a meeting. Calling it a “conference” sends a message that it’s just an exchange of interesting ideas, which builds a permission structure for the U.S. and other wealthy nations to step away from their existing responsibilities and commitments.
The future of U.S. climate policy – and the future of U.S. participation in global climate negotiations – could change based on election outcomes. The decision to leave the Paris Agreement was made unilaterally, despite Americans’ growing concerns about climate impacts, but Congress bears the responsibility for gutting the Inflation Reduction Act, and around the country, state and local governments are evaluating policy choices like data center permitting that could lock in carbon-intensive patterns or accelerate the shift to low-carbon energy generation.
Follow Texas Impact’s videos from COP31 at austinchronicle.com/COP31.
Texas Impact is Texas’ oldest and largest interfaith advocacy network. Based in Austin with members in every corner of the state, Texas Impact equips and mobilizes Texans of faith and conscience to advocate for public policies that reflect widely shared, deeply held values of love and justice. Learn more and get involved at texasimpact.org.
This article appears in November 6 • 2026.
