United Nations has warned that global climate action remains substantially insufficient despite the Paris Agreement’s support for broader climate policies across economies and societies.

Three reports published by UN Climate Change, covering countries’ emissions-reduction commitments, adaptation planning and climate transparency, show that governments are increasingly incorporating climate action into economic planning, involving businesses and civil society, and linking environmental policies to broader development priorities.

The findings were presented ahead of the 2026 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Conference of the Parties (COP31), which is set to take place in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell stated, “these reports are more evidence that almost every major economy and many medium-sized and smaller economies now see climate action as a central driver of economic growth, jobs, and affordable and secure energy.”

“However, this year’s reports demonstrate again that collective progress remains clearly insufficient, that global transitions are very uneven, and that many countries face substantial barriers to delivering their targets and pledges.”
Simon Stiell

He added that COP31 would provide an opportunity to address some of the identified gaps through negotiations and practical measures under the Global Climate Action Agenda.

Climate Commitments Expand as Global Emissions Reductions Fall Short

The 2026 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Synthesis Report shows that governments are increasingly broadening their climate commitments to cover mitigation, adaptation, climate finance, technology transfer, capacity-building, loss and damage, and just transitions.

Between January 1, 2024, and August 31, 2026, 127 new NDCs representing 154 Parties to the Paris Agreement were recorded in the UN registry. Together, the commitments cover approximately 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The report indicates that climate policymaking is becoming more inclusive, with governments increasingly involving local and regional authorities, civil society organisations and private businesses in planning, implementing and monitoring climate action.

Ninety-eight percent of Parties reported engaging a range of these stakeholders in implementing their NDCs, compared with 70 percent under previous commitments.

The report also found that 90 percent of Parties incorporated findings and commitments from the first global stocktake of climate action into their NDCs, while 65 percent highlighted the contribution of clean energy to energy security.

Despite these developments, projected emissions reductions remain substantially below the levels required to meet global climate goals.

Current pledges are expected to reduce global emissions by approximately 6 percent by 2035 compared with 2019 levels. Even with the full implementation of existing pledges, the report estimates that emissions could fall by around 9 percent.

The findings suggest that broader climate commitments and improved policy integration have yet to translate into emissions reductions on the scale required.

The 2026 Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) Synthesis Report similarly shows that climate policies are becoming more integrated into national development strategies and increasingly involve businesses, civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders.

Since the inaugural BTR Synthesis Report published last year, more than 30 additional reports have been submitted, bringing the total number of Parties that have submitted BTRs to 137. These reports now cover approximately 85 percent of global emissions.

Between 2020 and 2022, 60 Parties, representing about 66 percent of global emissions in 2020, made progress towards their NDC targets.

The report also found that 80 percent of Parties involved non-Party stakeholders in climate action, while 92 percent linked their climate policies to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Adaptation Plans and Climate Finance Face Persistent Barriers

The 2026 National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Progress Report shifts attention from the development of national adaptation plans to the challenges of implementing them.

As of October 20, 2026, 146 countries had initiated or launched the national adaptation planning process. Of these, 81 developing countries had submitted their NAPs, including 29 least developed countries and 17 small island developing states.

However, the report identifies significant obstacles to implementation, particularly in accessing climate finance.

Despite creating project proposals, there are obstacles to overcome, such as getting funds approved and making sure they get to the nations in need. The delivery of adaptation projects is nevertheless hampered by a small number of authorised businesses, drawn-out regulatory processes, and delays in grant disbursement.

The results show a continuous disparity between nations that have strategies to mitigate climate threats and those that have the institutional and financial resources to carry them out.

Two additional reports from the Standing Committee on Finance provide further insight into the availability of climate finance and the difficulties developing countries face in accessing the resources required to deliver their climate commitments.

The Third Report on Progress Towards Achieving the US$100 Billion Goal examines the collective commitment by developed countries to mobilise US$100 billion annually to support developing countries in addressing their climate needs.

The report finds that climate finance provided and mobilised by developed countries for developing countries increased between 2020 and 2024 across all sources of information examined. One source indicated that the US$100 billion goal was achieved in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

However, differences in measurement methods remain, alongside persistent concerns about access to finance, affordability and whether available resources adequately meet developing countries’ needs.

The Seventh Biennial Assessment and Overview of Climate Finance Flows found that global climate finance increased by 32 percent to an annual average of US$1.9 trillion in 2023–2024.

Despite the increase, investment remains unevenly distributed, with developing countries continuing to face barriers to accessing funding and significant shortfalls in adaptation finance.

COP31 to Focus on Turning Climate Pledges Into Practical Results

These findings are expected to inform discussions at COP31, where governments will have an opportunity to address implementation gaps through negotiations on mitigation, adaptation, climate finance and just transitions.

Alongside the formal negotiations, the Global Climate Action Agenda will focus on practical initiatives aimed at accelerating electrification, improving access to finance, reducing waste and curbing methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.

According to the UN Climate Chief, governments will continue to pursue climate action despite difficult global conditions.