COP31

Ocean Conservancy at COP31

The annual United Nations climate conference brings nearly every country in the world together to confront climate change and negotiate how governments will respond.

This year’s conference, COP31, comes at a time of growing economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Around the world, communities face rising costs, energy insecurity and increasingly severe climate impacts—all while governments face difficult choices about where and how to invest for the future.

The ocean is at the center of many of these challenges. It absorbs the impacts of a warming planet, from rising seas and marine heatwaves to changing ecosystems and growing risks for coastal communities. It is also part of the response, supporting clean energy, food and economic security, resilient coastlines, and livelihoods for billions of people.

At COP31, the challenge will be to translate growing recognition of the ocean’s importance into the policies, investment and international cooperation needed to deliver meaningful change.

Ocean Conservancy brings decades of science, policy expertise and partnership-building to advance practical ocean-climate solutions. At COP31, we will work with governments, communities, businesses and civil society to strengthen the policies, finance and partnerships needed to move ocean action forward.

Our priorities are to:

• Advance the Blue NDC Challenge by supporting countries to turn ocean commitments in their national climate plans into policies, projects, investment and partnerships.
• Accelerate the transition to clean ocean energy by scaling responsible offshore wind and other ocean renewables through the Ocean Renewable Energy Breakthrough, while advancing a managed transition away from offshore fossil fuels that protects nature and coastal communities.
• Unlock more finance for ocean action by helping countries and projects access the funding and financial tools needed to put ocean-climate solutions into practice.
• Strengthen international cooperation on ocean and climate through the Friends of Ocean and Climate, bringing governments together to advance ocean-based solutions across the global climate agenda.

Our work is focused on ensuring that the ocean is not treated as a separate environmental issue but recognized as an essential part of how countries build more resilient economies, strengthen energy and climate security, and respond to a rapidly changing world.

Ocean Conservancy’s Delegation

• Dr. Fatima Vahlsing, Vice President Climate
• Shamini Selvaratnam, Director, International Climate and Clean Energy
• Whitney Berry, Associate Director, Climate Policy

Find us at the following events in the COP 31

*All times are in Antakya local time

Ocean Conservancy will participate in a variety of events at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, from Nov. 9-20. Please check back for event listings.