Ahead COP31: Ocean Dialogue Outlines Pathways To Scale Up Ocean-based Climate Action

AFOLABI SAHEED OLAWALE

Stronger integration of ocean priorities into national climate plans (NDCs), more accessible finance and greater coherence across climate, biodiversity and ocean agendas are among the key priorities outlined in the informal summary report of the 2026 Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, released on Monday, August 31, 2026.

The report also calls for ocean considerations to be more systematically integrated across the UNFCCC process, setting out pathways to strengthen ocean-based climate action ahead of COP31.

The annual Dialogue, mandated by the Glasgow Climate Pact, was held during the June Climate Meetings in Bonn, and was co-facilitated by Sivendra Michael of Fiji and Ulrik Lenaerts of Belgium.

The Dialogue highlighted the potential of ocean-based measures in NDCs to strengthen climate ambition and accelerate implementation.

The report encourages countries to integrate ocean-based mitigation and adaptation measures into their NDCs, according to national circumstances and development priorities, including through greater attention to renewable energy and maritime decarbonization.

It also highlights the importance of stronger measurement, accounting and assessment, including for blue carbon ecosystems, to track progress, strengthen implementation and support investment.

Access to finance, technology and capacity emerged as a key enabler of ocean-based climate action.

The report calls for finance that is more accessible, predictable and fit for purpose, particularly for small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs). It encourages a whole-of-finance approach that mobilizes public, concessional, private and blended finance, while strengthening engagement with climate funds, multilateral development banks and private investors.

“For SIDS, where the ocean is central to our economies, livelihoods and resilience, the scale of climate vulnerability makes access to means of implementation particularly urgent. Ocean ambition must therefore be matched by predictable and accessible finance, technology and capacity to turn national priorities into action,” said Sivendra Michael.

The Dialogue also underscored the need for greater coherence across national climate and biodiversity planning.

The report calls for stronger alignment between NDCs, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), supported by closer coordination among relevant ministries, institutions and national focal points.

At the international level, it calls for stronger cooperation across the Rio Conventions, and greater complementarity between the Paris Agreement and the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, while respecting their distinct mandates and governance arrangements.

Ahead of COP31, the report calls for ocean-based climate action to be elevated as a cross-cutting climate priority and for ocean considerations to be more systematically integrated across the UNFCCC process.

It also encourages consideration of a multi-year roadmap for the Dialogue, aligned with the ambition and implementation cycle of the Paris Agreement.

“A multi-year roadmap can help ensure continuity between Dialogue sessions while creating clearer pathways for ocean considerations to be taken forward across the UNFCCC process,” said Ulrik Lenaerts.

At COP31, the co-facilitators will present the Dialogue’s outcomes at the opening plenary and convene a special event for Parties and observers to discuss how the key messages can inform political action and contribute to a strong ocean outcome.