Turkey buries COP31 in traffic hell

Many of the world’s diplomatic elite converged on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast to negotiate the future of global climate finance, only to find themselves stranded in one of the most severe logistical bottlenecks endured in recent UN summit history, local news portal bianet reported on November 10.

As the 31st UN Climate Change Conference, or COP31, opened on November 9 at Antalya Expo Center, the ambitions of international statecraft were promptly eclipsed by gridlock.

What was engineered as a marquee showcase for Turkish infrastructure has, in the opening days of the 12 days the summit is due to run, degenerated into a gruelling trial of sufferance for so many of the estimated tens of thousands of international delegates, journalists and government ministers in attendance.

The root of the congestion lies in the rigorous security protocols deployed for the World Leaders Climate Action Summit. Local authorities partitioned the critical D-400 highway connecting central Antalya to Alanya, reserving dedicated lanes exclusively for executive motorcades, while squeezing all commercial, public and commuter traffic into the remaining lanes.

Compounding the logjam, the authorities instituted outright closures of key arterial routes alongside temporary bans on heavy freight, long-distance buses and two-wheeled transport.

The resulting gridlock has severely compromised the summit's operational tempo. Journeys between central hotel hubs and Antalya Expo Center in Serik-Belek district, originally scheduled to take 50 minutes, are routinely stretching past three to four hours.

High-profile attendees were not spared the misery. A delegation led by Brazilian state governors, including Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul, was trapped in traffic for four and a half hours along a 22-kilometre (14-mile) stretch, forcing them to miss scheduled bilateral meetings and prompting formal apologies from event organisers.

“COP31 travel is a total farce,” remarked Simon Evans (@DrSimEvans), senior editor at climate publication Carbon Brief, in a post on X that quickly went viral among attendees.

“Two hours on a bus. Turfed off to get the tram. No space on the tram. Half the freeway closed,” he lamented.

Images circulating on social media platforms and in international media depicted claustrophobic scenes including delegates packed tightly in shuttle buses and overflow crowds surging across pedestrian overpasses beneath decorative "WELCOME TO TÜRKİYE" banners.

Frustrating queues, meanwhile, built up at security checkpoints where local police struggled to clear non-Turkish speakers through baggage scans.

To prevent a total municipal shutdown, provincial authorities deployed roughly 28,000 security personnel and declared administrative leave for public sector employees across seven districts, including Aksu, Kepez and Muratpasa. Yet local residents were caught in the crossfire. Miles-long tailbacks on the D-400 triggered widespread honking protests.

Inside the Blue Zone, the UN-administered enclave reserved for formal negotiations, the friction continued. Delegates who had successfully navigated the highway hell faced long lines for credentials and steep prices at official catering outlets, where basic meal options ranged between Turkish lira (TRY) 750 ($15) and 850, raising eyebrows among local delegates and staff.

Operational missteps extended to event staffing. Despite the environment ministry deploying hundreds of electric buses imported from neighbouring provinces, many drivers lacked basic familiarity with local routes and were seen relying on handheld navigation maps.

Meanwhile, third-party staffing reassignments led to translators arranged to assist diplomats being reassigned to food service roles at short notice, leaving key service points devoid of English-speaking personnel.