Antalya blue economy push
COP31 in Antalya hosted a Moroccan initiative on “Oceans and Coasts: Resilience in the Face of Climate Change,” with participation from Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, and Jordan.
The meeting, held on November 11, 2026, discussed ways to protect oceans and coastal areas and to strengthen the role of civil society and local communities in building a sustainable and equitable blue economy.
The proceedings focused on shifting the concept of the blue economy toward protecting marine and coastal ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, improving local livelihoods, and building climate resilience.
The meeting also recalled a COP31 oceans and seas cooperation initiative launched by the Turkish presidency, framing it as an opportunity to develop coordination among states, institutions, and stakeholders and to mobilize partnerships and financing.
Eng. Imad Saad of the Environment Network of Abu Dhabi addressed “From the Blue Economy to Blue Impact: Community Partnerships for More Resilient Coasts,” while Mr. Hamza Wodghari of the Moroccan Association for Green Economy for the Environment and Climate Justice presented field and community experiences in protecting coastal areas.
Island states demand action
Seychelles Vice President Alix Sebastien Pillay told COP31 in Antalya that “For Seychelles — an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean — climate action is not simply an environmental priority.” Pillay said Seychelles was suffering damage worth millions of dollars from storms and flooding despite contributing little to warming, and she urged strengthening a UN fund to compensate losses and damages so island nations do not become indebted “even more” during climate recovery. Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine warned that expanding fossil fuels was “something to fear,” and she said “Every new oil well drilled, every piece of coal mined, poses a threat to my country’s future.”
Niue prime minister Dalton Tagelagi linked the El Niño phenomenon to higher global temperatures, floods, and droughts, and he said, “The sea temperatures in the central Pacific are more than three degrees above normal.” Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez defended strengthening the oil system, stating, “We defend our sovereign right to responsibly enhance our oil and energy industry as a great engine for national development.”
Ocean roadmap and methane
At COP31 in Antalya, a coalition of small island states, African countries, the European Union and other G20 nations pushed for a process to deliver stronger ocean mandates in a key review of climate policies in 2028. Carlos Varela, speaking for the AOSIS group of 39 island states, asked for a “multi-year plan” that would “connect the outcomes of the dialogue with the Paris Agreement ambition cycle, including the second Global Stocktake.” Marine Lecerf, head of International Policy at the Ocean & Climate Platform, said she could “see this land in the cover decision,” and she warned that if the cover decision becomes a “Christmas list”, there is a risk the presidency decides to leave it out.
UNEP announced an agreement at COP31 to cut methane emissions by an amount equivalent to removing 26 million cars from circulation in one year, calling it a “real advance” in reducing methane emissions. The COP31 ocean delegate Inia Seruiratu stressed that “the ocean is the largest carbon sink,” while the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, said “because protecting nature is protecting life and either we all act together or life goes out.”
