Urgent pleas for cash from poor nations most exposed to the kind of climate-related disasters that have marked this year risk meeting a sluggish response at Turkey’s COP31 talks as Western governments ​put national security and living costs first.

Two years ago, rich countries agreed at UN climate talks they would triple climate funding for poorer countries to $300 billion per ‌year by 2035 versus a previous 2020 target. Also by 2035, financing from all public and private sources combined would be $1.3 trillion annually, Reuters reported.

The rich countries met their 2020 target two years late.

Since then, climate action has slipped down the political agenda for Western governments as US President Donald Trump has withdrawn international funding, while wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have added to inflationary pressures and the need to spend on security.

Vulnerable small island nations say the cash they need to ​repair damage and to guard against future climate-related crises is again arriving too slowly and their own budgets have shrunk.

“Like many small island developing states, we remain in a perpetual ​climate disaster recovery mode,” Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale told the conference. “We cannot build resilience while our fiscal space erodes.”

Even when money is available, ⁠technical hurdles set by lenders can stretch the administrative capacity of small states.

For many developed nations, facing international and domestic unrest as citizens protest against the rising cost of living, their focus has narrowed.

Britain, ​which has sought to be a leader in addressing climate change, said in July savings made from switching some climate finance contributions from grants to loans would be used to help fund a cap on ​domestic bus fares.

Meanwhile, defence spending has climbed significantly.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated in April that world military expenditure reached $2.89 trillion in 2025, up 2.9% in real terms from 2024.

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said military defence ultimately was the smaller concern.

“We are told there is no money, but as spending on war grows, the greatest security threat we face remains underfunded. I appeal to you: Find money for life, not death,” she said in her speech ​to the conference in the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya on Wednesday.

COP31 SEEKING IMPLEMENTATION, NOT NEW TARGETS

As they respond to the contemporary mood, host country Turkey and lead negotiator Australia have emphasised making ​previous pledges work, rather than securing a new headline target at the conference, which continues until the end of next week.

“COP31 must respond to the global moment and send a clear message to accelerate implementation,” Australia’s COP31 ‌negotiating president Chris ⁠Bowen said. He also said finance must be “faster, simpler and fairer”.

Analysis by previous COP host Brazil published earlier this week found that $137 billion was mobilised in 2024, a slight increase on 2023, but that direct aid and future commitments to multilateral funds were lower.

Current trends suggested provision would fall $840 billion short of the $1.3 trillion goal, it said.

“Geopolitical tensions, constrained fiscal space in many developing countries and the high cost of capital where it is most needed are among the obstacles,” the report said.

By way of solutions, it urged measures such as risk-sharing and clearer links between national plans and budgets.

Some smaller nations have ​taken novel steps to find cash and to spur ​richer nations to match it.

The Solomon Islands pledged $400,000 ⁠from its own pocket on Thursday, saying it was determined to show leadership and calling on rich countries to do the same.

The Bahamas committed $75 million to protect and restore its seagrass meadows, which store carbon, to try to persuade investors to fund verified carbon projects.

UNCLOGGING THE SYSTEM TO GET MONEY FLOWING

Both ​public and private funding provide climate finance grants, loans, aid and investment in measures ranging from renewable energy to flood defences.

Multilateral development banks ​are a conduit for finance ⁠that leverages capital provided by shareholder countries to increase lending power and they say they are delivering. Their lending reached record levels in 2025, according to the European Investment Bank.

But, they could do more, according to Washington-based think tank the Center for Global Development and recipients of the finance have said the development banks should make access easier.

Addressing that, a group of multilateral funds told the COP31 talks they would rely more ⁠on one another’s ​assessments in co-financed operations rather than having to go through multiple overlapping processes.

For private investors, the most obvious issue is ​the risk of investing in an instrument that does not guarantee returns.

Given how unforthcoming the world’s richer governments have been, the private sector is ever more important.

“Our clients see opportunities in the energy transition, but they need reliable power, predictable costs and ​confidence in customer demand before they invest,” HSBC Chief Sustainability Officer Julian Wentzel said. “COP31 needs to help create that confidence.”

Afghanistan ranks among the five countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, despite contributing little to global greenhouse gas emissions, the head of the country’s National Environmental Protection Agency has said.

Matiul Haq Khalis, Director General of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), made the remarks at a scientific conference in Kabul, saying Afghanistan could rank as the world’s third most climate-vulnerable country if comprehensive global research is conducted.

The conference, titled “Afghanistan’s Media and Climate Diplomacy: Opportunities and Challenges,” was organised at a private university and brought together government officials and media representatives to discuss the country’s climate challenges.

Khalis stressed that Afghanistan faces serious climate-related risks despite having a negligible role in producing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Meanwhile, Shir Ahmad Haqqani, Minister of Information and Culture, highlighted the important role of media organisations in reporting the negative impacts of climate change.

He called on media outlets to take a more active role in raising public awareness and informing communities about climate-related challenges.

Media representatives attending the conference also expressed their readiness to cooperate with government institutions in public awareness campaigns and efforts to address the consequences of climate change.

The discussions come ahead of an international climate conference scheduled to take place in Türkiye, where Afghan representatives have also been invited to participate and present the country’s views, with the aim of drawing greater international attention to Afghanistan’s climate challenges.

However, several international projects aimed at supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in Afghanistan have currently been suspended, raising concerns about the country’s ability to respond effectively to growing environmental threats.

The conference highlighted the importance of stronger media engagement, international cooperation and continued support for Afghanistan as it faces increasing climate-related challenges.

These developments come as a climate change conference is set to be held in Turkey in one day’s time; representatives from Afghanistan have also been invited to participate, present their perspectives, and draw the international community’s attention to the country’s climate situation.

Nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people are living in countries increasingly exposed to climate-related ​droughts, floods and extreme heat, the UN refugee agency said on Friday, warning ahead of the COP31 climate ‌summit that more funding is needed to help vulnerable communities adapt.

Nearly three-quarters of the world’s forcibly displaced people are living in countries such as Afghanistan and Bangladesh that are exposed to severe climate-related risks, according to the report by the agency, known as UNHCR, published ahead of the UN ​Climate Change Conference in Antalya, Turkey. The findings show the overlap between conflict, displacement and climate change, the report ​said.

“Climate adaptation in fragile and displacement-affected areas is a matter of survival,” said Anton Leis Garcia, UNHCR’s ⁠assistant high commissioner for operations.

“We need climate financing to reach the communities where the needs are greatest,” he said.

The report ​highlighted the experience of a Sudanese refugee who fled conflict in al-Fashir in June 2023 to the Farchana refugee settlement in eastern ​Chad. The refugee said she sometimes goes a week without finding safe water and must walk increasingly long distances for alternative sources as nearby seasonal riverbeds dry up amid intensifying heat.

RETURNS AT RISK

It also warned that climate change is making it harder for displaced people to return home sustainably.

In ​the first half of 2026, more than two-thirds of refugee returns were to countries highly exposed to climate hazards, placing them ​at risk of renewed displacement, the report said.

In Syria, where nearly 4 million displaced people have recently returned, people face worsening water scarcity ‌and erratic ⁠rainfall, while flooding along the Euphrates River in May damaged homes and displaced thousands of people, the report said.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, one in three refugee settlements could experience at least 100 days of dangerous heat each year by 2050, threatening health and livelihoods, the report said. In some settlements in Ethiopia, including Helaweyn, dangerous heat could persist for more than 200 days a year, increasing ​the risks of heatstroke and ​premature death.

“Refugees often have limited ⁠access to cooling, water and reliable energy, making it harder to escape dangerous temperatures,” the report said.

UNHCR also warned that a forecast supersized El Niño could worsen climate-related risks in many refugee-hosting countries ​and trigger further displacement.

In East Africa, severe flooding could displace up to 3 million people ​in Somalia, Kenya, ⁠South Sudan and Uganda by the end of this year, UNHCR said. In the Sahel, drought, flooding and conflict could intensify competition over scarce resources, while parts of Asia face heightened risks of droughts, floods and cyclones.

UNHCR called on governments and climate-finance institutions meeting at ⁠COP31 to ​increase funding for climate adaptation, highlighting that only about 10% of climate finance ​reaches fragile or conflict-affected countries.

On Wednesday, a separate UN report found rich countries were falling well short of the $305 billion needed each year to help developing nations ​adapt to climate change, even as extreme weather events become more frequent and severe.