COP31 Plan Aims to Turn Climate Pledges into

COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum has introduced a new initiative aimed at turning climate pledges into investable projects. The Climate Implementation Bridge, or BRIDGE, was detailed in his third letter to parties dated 25 August as a central part of the summit's Action Agenda.

BRIDGE is designed to help countries move from climate priorities to investment-ready project portfolios. It aims to strengthen project preparation, institutional capacity, and access to finance. The goal is to accelerate mitigation and adaptation actions.

Murat Kurum stated that many developing countries face significant barriers. These include accessing climate finance and preparing bankable projects. Scaling up BRIDGE by 2035 is presented as a practical mechanism for closing this implementation gap.

Skepticism from Climate Advocates

For developing countries in Asia and the Global South, BRIDGE could be a key element. Harjeet Singh, Climate Activist and Founding Director of Satat Sampada Climate Foundation, noted these nations have updated climate plans. Yet they face high capital costs, sovereign debt distress, and limited technical bandwidth.

Singh warned that framing the problem around "bankable projects" carries a hidden risk. Adaptation, loss and damage, and social protection priorities are rarely commercially bankable to private investors. He argued BRIDGE can only be transformative if it gives equal weight to non-revenue-generating projects.

Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of Climate Action Network, expressed hope the initiative could renew finance commitment. She also noted skepticism. Many past initiatives aimed at unlocking investment have not delivered the needed scale.

Essop stated the real underlying barriers to climate finance are not being addressed. These include debt burdens, the cost of capital, and the tendency to provide loans rather than grants. She argued that while new platforms can highlight problems, they are not a substitute for genuine government transformation.

She added that existing financial instruments and past COP decisions must be met first. This includes the new climate finance goal and the Baku-to-Belem Roadmap targeting US$1.3 trillion. The priority, she said, is for developed countries to meet existing obligations.

Focus on Implementation, Not Fossil Fuels

Kurum's letter presents electrification, renewable energy, and efficiency as central to COP31's clean energy agenda. It contains no explicit pledge to phase out fossil fuels. Instead, it underscores a preference for voluntary, non-prescriptive targets.

One notable goal is lifting electricity's share of final energy consumption to 35 percent by 2035. The letter stresses these goals would create no new obligations for individual countries.

Harjeet Singh argued that finance and the fossil fuel transition cannot be treated separately. He said the co-presidency of Turkey and Australia cannot provide a credible agenda while dodging the core mandate for a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.

Singh stated that focusing on electrification is welcome, but dodging the phase-out of coal, oil, and gas makes staying within 1.5°C impossible. He called for BRIDGE to be explicitly connected to fossil fuel phase-out pathways, underpinned by clear commitments from wealthy nations.

COP31 uses a split leadership model. Turkey holds the formal presidency and hosts the Antalya summit, leading the Action Agenda. Australia's Chris Bowen is the president of negotiations, steering the formal UN climate talks in consultation with Turkey.