In the shadows of COP29, two of the world’s most coal-dependent countries are still bidding to host the UN climate summit in 2026, offering what could be a unique moment to renew focus on coal, write two climate analysts
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Newcastle is one of the largest coal export ports in Australia, where coal to be received by train and loaded onto massive ships to export (Image: David Wall / Alamy )
Australia and Türkiye went into COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a range of diplomatic goals, but none greater than each country’s hopes to be announced as the host of the UN climate summit in 2026. For Ufuk and myself, the competition between our respective countries trickled down into a daily banter, and at times, fierce rivalry.
For Türkiye, this is the second time in six years that it has put its name forward as a potential COP host. In 2019, the country challenged the UK for hosting rights of COP26. Since then, president Erdoğan renewed his country’s hosting push, bolstered by his attendance at recent UN climate summits, including last year’s event in Dubai as one of the few G20 leaders present.
If successful, COP31 would likely be hosted in the coastal city of Antalya.
For Australia, the current prime minister planted the idea of hosting the UN summit soon after coming to office in May 2022. In November that year, Australia formally announced its bid to host the UN summit, in partnership with ‘the Pacific’. Since then, many in Australian government circles assumed it was a sure thing but have since been surprised at the resilience of the Turkish bid.
