Hotter World, Older Population: How Long Can Climate COPs Ignore the Obvious? By Hari Krishna Nibanupudi Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Hotter World, Older Population: How Long Can Climate COPs Ignore the Obvious? By Hari Krishna Nibanupudi The world is growing hotter and older. Climate institutions must recognise both realities in whose voices count and where their money goes. ANTALYA, Türkiye, Nov 11 2026 (IPS) - As COP31 gets underway in Antalya, two realities demand attention. The World Meteorological Organisation reports that 2015–2025 were the 11 hottest years on record, with 2025 about 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels. The World Health Organisation projects that the number of people aged 60 and over will rise from one billion in 2020 to 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2.1 billion in 2050, roughly one in five people. These trends are connected: together, they define the population that climate policy must serve. Yet representation in climate negotiations has barely changed. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/11/hotter-world-older-population-how-long-can-climate-cops-ignore-the-obvious/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Africa_Cannot_Burn_Its_Way_Out_of_Its_Waste_Crisis_Without_Action_Climate_Change_Could_Push_Women_Fu Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -