With COP31 due to open in a few weeks, scheduled for November 9–20, 2026 in Antalya, the climate debate is shifting toward a more demanding question than new promises: how can those already announced be implemented? In an analysis published on October 22, the World Resources Institute (WRI) argues that the gathering should be judged by policies, financing and cooperation capable of producing measurable effects.
This priority comes amid tense conditions. Geopolitical tensions weigh on energy markets and highlight the vulnerability of economies dependent on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, extreme heat, floods and fires increase the human and economic costs of climate disruption. For WRI, these crises are connected: energy security, health, livelihoods and infrastructure resilience influence one another.
From commitments to operational decisions
COP31 need not necessarily produce a single agreement comparable to previous major diplomatic milestones. The challenge instead lies in governments’ ability to explain how they will implement national plans and remove obstacles slowing execution. This requires credible schedules, clearly allocated responsibilities and publicly accessible monitoring mechanisms.
WRI President and CEO Ani Dasgupta stresses in the analysis that coalitions of countries and stakeholders united around common goals can accelerate some projects. But these smaller initiatives cannot replace multilateral negotiations: the annual conference remains the forum where states, including the smallest and most exposed, can help shape a common direction. The challenge is therefore to make rapid action and collective legitimacy work together.
Electricity, grids and a just transition
The first area concerns energy. WRI invites participants to support the COP31 presidency’s proposed goal of increasing electricity’s share of energy needs to 35% by 2035. This is a proposed direction, not a result already achieved or an obligation adopted by the conference. To deliver it, low-carbon electricity generation must grow alongside grids, storage, energy efficiency and access to equipment.
This distinction particularly matters for African countries. Higher solar or wind capacity does not by itself guarantee reliable supply for households and businesses. Transmission lines, regional interconnections, storage systems and distribution quality determine whether electricity actually reaches users. Financing needs are also heavier when capital costs are high. Access to concessional loans and guarantees can therefore matter as much as the announced investment volume.
A just transition is the other dimension of this issue. It requires considering workers, communities and regions currently dependent on fossil fuel activities while improving access to affordable energy. A credible strategy must explain investment sequencing, skills to be developed and protections planned for affected populations.
Making adaptation a funded priority
The second area concerns adaptation and resilience. At COP30, countries agreed to triple adaptation financing by 2035. COP31 must help turn this ambition into implementation pathways: identifiable funding sources, simpler access for vulnerable countries and better integration of risk into public and private investment.
Melanie Robinson, head of WRI’s Climate, Economics and Finance program, emphasizes the quality of access to funds as much as their amount. Overly complex procedures can delay projects where needs are most urgent. Development banks and climate funds are therefore called on to reduce administrative bottlenecks and better direct concessional resources toward the most exposed countries and communities.
Comparable resilience indicators could also help investors better assess efforts underway. They do not replace local analysis, but can make the benefits of flood-resistant infrastructure, warning systems or essential services designed to operate during shocks more visible.
Oceans at the heart of climate plans
WRI’s third proposed area concerns oceans. Commitments in national climate plans must translate into sustainable water management policies, investment in marine ecosystem protection and financing solutions suited to coastal and island states. These countries often combine high exposure to coastal risks with limited resources to protect people, ports and economic activities.
Australia’s presidency of negotiations, together with Pacific island countries, could strengthen these issues’ place in discussions. However, results will depend on their integration into financing decisions and national plans rather than their visibility in the conference program alone.
A gathering to assess by what follows
For African economies, Antalya’s success will therefore be measured by the ability to bring announcements closer to executable projects: lower financing costs, better-prepared electricity grids, adaptation support and more direct access to funds. International commitments have effects only when they translate into budget decisions, contracts, infrastructure and accessible services.
WRI ultimately proposes a useful assessment framework: beyond final declarations, have governments adopted practical measures to accelerate clean electricity, improve efficiency and prepare to move away from fossil fuels? Does public financing mobilize private capital without increasing debt vulnerability? Are exposed communities becoming more resilient?
COP31 cannot alone resolve the transition’s economic and social trade-offs. But it can clarify responsibilities, make targets verifiable and give countries the means to act. Its significance will be judged by this implementation capacity more than by the scale of announcements alone.