UN Climate Change released its 2026 Yearbook of Global Climate Action on November 9, 2026, the opening day of COP31 in Antalya. The report tracks what companies, investors, cities and regions are doing outside the formal negotiations, and it reports progress on 44 global indicators aligned with the first global stocktake.
For corporate climate teams, the yearbook matters because it is the secretariat’s main public record of non-state action. It draws on commitments and progress reports filed through the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA), the portal where businesses and initiatives log their pledges.
What the indicators show
The 2026 edition presents data on 96 global socioeconomic indicators aligned with the first global stocktake. It is organized around the six thematic priorities of the COP31 Action Agenda.
According to the secretariat, momentum is visible in rising renewable energy capacity, slowing deforestation and growth in a range of adaptation measures. It identifies gaps in oil and gas methane emissions and in food loss. It also says the lack of global indicators in some key areas is a limitation that needs to be addressed.
The methane gap echoes the opening-day remarks of Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, who called for action to “slash super-polluting methane emissions, particularly in the oil and gas, and waste sectors.”
More reporting from initiatives
The secretariat says the yearbook draws on a record number of progress reports. Eighty-three Cooperative Climate Initiatives reported more than 200 actions through NAZCA. It also reports that 84 percent of Plans to Accelerate Solutions, the multi-stakeholder work plans that set out actions and voluntary commitments, reported progress after one year of implementation.
“This Yearbook shows how businesses, cities, communities, and more are turning global commitments into change that people are seeing, feeling and benefiting from,” Stiell said. “But we can and must go much further, faster.”
Why the Action Agenda is in focus at COP31
The 2026 edition marks 10 years of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, which links governments with cities, regions, businesses and investors. The secretariat says COP31 is expected to have a strong focus on real-economy progress through the Action Agenda, alongside the formal negotiations.
In his opening statement, Stiell said the secretariat is working on “a moment on the final day of the COP” to bring together Action Agenda progress, and invited countries to name focal points to follow that work. The yearbook is published in a new online format this year and will be updated to reflect outcomes on global climate action at COP31, which runs through November 20.
For companies that report through NAZCA or belong to cooperative initiatives, the indicator set gives an early view of how their sectors will be assessed. It also points to the areas where data are still missing.
Sources
- UNFCCC: Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2026 provides new evidence that climate action is delivering results (November 9, 2026)
- UNFCCC: Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2026
- UNFCCC: COP31 opening statements (November 9, 2026)
- UNFCCC: NAZCA Evidence Portal
- UNFCCC: Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action
