Scaling Ocean-Climate Action at COP31: From Dialogue to Delivery through Blue NDCs and Finance Reform
Ocean-based climate solutions can deliver significant emissions reductions while strengthening resilience, creating jobs, and supporting sustainable development, making their implementation a critical priority on the road to COP31.
The ocean–climate nexus has become central to the implementation of the Climate Convention and the Paris Agreement. Research shows that action across seven ocean sectors — from conservation to renewable energy to shipping — could provide over a third of the emissions cuts needed to reach global climate goals, while also supporting jobs, health and economic growth.
Through the UNFCCC Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, Parties and observers have advanced technical and policy discussions on strengthening ocean-based mitigation, adaptation, and resilience action across these sectors. Simultaneously, the Blue NDC Challenge has catalyzed national ambition by encouraging countries to integrate ocean-based climate solutions into updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). COP31, hosted by Türkiye later this year, arrives at a critical moment, with a focus on translating ambition into local action.
The discussion will highlight how investing in and increasing access to climate finance for ocean-climate solutions can deliver on cross-sector investment, workforce development, and national implementation goals. The side event will offer a readout of the 2026 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue discussions, preview the launch of the Blue NDC Implementation Taskforce, and showcase practical implementation examples from Türkiye, Australia, Fiji, Belgium, Brazil, and other partners. Special attention will be given to opportunities on the road to COP31 linked to the Standing Committee on Finance draft guidance, the 2026 SCF Forum, and the Pacific Pre-COP process.
By bringing together governments, scientific institutions, civil society, and ocean-dependent communities, the event will create a strategic bridge between policy ambition, finance reform, and local action to accelerate delivery of ocean-climate solutions.
Organizers: Governments of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Fiji, France, Ocean & Climate Platform, Ocean Conservancy, WWF-Brazil, World Resources Institute, UNFCCC Secretariat, and more.
