Nordic sustainability briefing: COP31 opens, renewables pass half of global capacity, and a new green-software academy
COP31 opens in Antalya under shared Türkiye–Australia leadership, while IRENA data show renewables made up 49.5% of global power capacity at the end of 2025, though their share of new additions fell from 2024. The briefing also covers Finland's proposed EV-charging rules for larger car parks, an Oxford study on missing Atlantic-current risk in national climate plans, and the Green Software Foundation's pilot academy.
COP31 opens in Antalya with host and negotiation duties split between Türkiye and Australia
The summit runs 9–20 November. Around 80 world leaders are expected, and this is the first COP where hosting and negotiation leadership are shared between two countries. Coverage describes the talks as taking place amid an energy-price shock and without US participation in UN climate bodies.
IRENA: renewables made up 49.5% of global power capacity at the end of 2025, with a record 693 GW added
IRENA's July 2026 highlights put renewable capacity at about 5.2 TW, or 49.5% of 10.4 TW total. Solar accounted for 2,397 GW of that, and solar and wind together made up 96.9% of net renewable additions. Renewables' share of all new capacity fell to 85.7% from 92.7% in 2024.
Finland proposes EV-charging requirements for non-residential car parks with more than 20 spaces
Under the government proposal, buildings used for purposes other than housing and with more than 20 parking spaces would need at least one charging point per ten spaces. As an alternative, at least half of the spaces could be fitted with cable conduits. The environment minister says the approach avoids unnecessary charging points and wasted investment for municipalities and other property owners.
Oxford researchers: risk of Atlantic current collapse is missing from almost all national climate plans
A new study by University of Oxford researchers says an Amoc collapse would dramatically alter the world's climate, in ways that are often unexpected. They argue that almost all national climate plans leave the risk out, and the study sets out how governments could prepare.
Green Software Foundation opens a pilot academy with 14 courses and vendor-neutral certification
The Green Software & AI Academy pilot is open to GSF members. It offers fourteen courses and certification built on the foundation's open standards, aimed at helping teams measure and reduce the environmental impact of software and AI. The foundation also recently introduced SILO, the Sustainability Interoperability Layer for Operations.