COP31 starts Monday. As global temperatures continue to rise, do climate talks matter?

NPR | By Rachel Waldholz,

Ayesha Rascoe

Published November 8, 2026 at 8:34 AM EST

COP31 - the annual UN negotiations on climate change - starts on Monday. The talks have been going on for decades, during which the planet has gotten hotter. So, do these climate talks really matter?

Rachel Waldholz

Ayesha Rascoe

Ayesha Rascoe is the host of Weekend Edition Sunday and the Saturday episodes of Up First.

See stories by Ayesha Rascoe

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