Q&A: What is the Belém-Antalya mechanism for a ‘just transition’? 

Article Contents Expand menu Close How has a ‘just transition’ featured in UN climate talks?  Where did the ‘just transition mechanism’ come from?  What role could the mechanism play in facilitating ‘just transitions’?  What are the financial implications of the mechanism? What is likely to happen in Antalya? One of the key expected outcomes from the upcoming COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, is the launch of a “just transition mechanism”.  This follows years of calls from civil society to support a “just transition” as countries shift towards low-emissions energy systems and away from fossil fuels. At the COP30 UN climate talks last year in the Brazilian city of Belém parties agreed to establish a “mechanism” to support this goal, called the “Belém-Antalya mechanism” (BAM). Groups that have championed the BAM want it to act as a central hub on just transitions, providing support for workers and communities around the world. However, the details of exactly what the much-touted BAM will consist of remain vague, with developed and developing countries disagreeing about its functions and purpose.  Disagreements continued at the UN climate talks in Bonn in June 2026, including on the crucial question of how the BAM will be financed.  Here, Carbon Brief looks at where the idea for the BAM came from, how it could support just transitions and what to expect from COP31. How has a ‘just transition’ featured in UN climate talks?  A “just transition” is the idea that workers and communities should be supported in the shift to a low-carbon economy. It is a central principle behind the idea of climate justice. Often, the term refers to those linked to the fossil-fuel industry, but it can also refer to transitions taking place in agriculture, heavy industry and various other sectors. The concept originated in the 1980s, when US labour unions forged alliances with environmental justice groups. It has since become a key part of international climate discussions.  The preamble to the 2015 Paris Agreement includes a commitment to “tak[e] into account the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs in accordance with nationally defined development priorities”. Bert De Wel, policy officer at the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), tells Carbon Brief: “The labour movement is very happy with the wide audience and broad political support that the concept has received since its inception in the 1980s.