Running from November 9-20, 2026, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) is the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change, bringing together countries worldwide to address the climate crisis in Antalya, Türkiye. As COP31 continues in Antalya, the discussion calls for stronger action on what climate commitments can deliver, and the challenge of turning them into action remains central.
From November 12, the leaders’ summit moves into detailed negotiations, with differences over fossil fuels, finance and how quickly countries should act. The Sultanate of Oman has arrived at COP31 with environmental achievements to highlight.
Oman ranked 49th overall among 177 countries in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index, while securing first-place rankings in six sub-environmental indicators: household solid fuel consumption, sustainable solid waste management, wastewater treatment, species habitat protection, reductions in open water trawling and reduction trends in sulphur dioxide emissions. Oman also ranks 146th in climate-change mitigation within the same index, which shows it leads overall in climate action and emissions reduction.
These aspects are all integral components of institutional and operational architecture underpinning environmental governance. These take time to improve and require sustained, long-term efforts. Creating a new treatment plant requires design, financing, construction, staffing, and commissioning. Its contribution may not appear immediately in an international index, because inclusion depends on when the relevant performance data are collected, reported and incorporated.
A promise and a system are fundamentally different. A promise is a declaration that can be drafted within a day, but building the capacity to deliver takes time. A system requires construction, operation, staffing and testing. How much wastewater will it treat? How much waste will be diverted from the landfill? Monitoring and reliable reporting will be the test of delivery, not merely the ambition of the rhetoric.
The gap between a Memorandum of Understanding and a tangible asset is where the environmental ambition can dissipate. Signing the agreement is the beginning; delivering the environmental infrastructure takes significant capital and institutional commitment. Oman’s ranking across the six environmental sub-indicators provides a strong foundation for discussion, not just promises. Commitments matter, but delivery is where they must ultimately prove their value.
For a country whose economy has relied on oil and gas for decades and which now aims to achieve net zero by 2050, Oman’s first-place rankings in six environmental sub-indicators in the 2026 Environmental Performance Index represent a meaningful step forward in sustainability. This tangible achievement demonstrates environmental performance and strengthens the country's credibility and position in the international sustainability conversation.
Oman has shown commitment beyond words by putting the environmental policy into practice. Oman has demonstrated how institutions are strengthened, infrastructure is developed, and environmental services are managed over time. Sharing its experience, the results, and the difficulties encountered could offer insights for resource-dependent economies pursuing similar transitions.
Looking ahead, Oman must consolidate these gains and extend them across the economy. It must expand wastewater treatment capacity, divert more waste from landfill, protect additional habitat, reduce emissions per unit of production, and protect ecosystems while supporting economic development. The crucial test for Oman will be its ability to sustain its environmental achievements as its economy grows.
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