Australia’s Energy Minister Chris Bowen said on Saturday that he is travelling to Brazil’s COP30 climate summit to lobby for Australia to host next year’s global climate conference, as Canberra remains locked in a two-year stalemate with rival bidder Turkey.
Australia and Turkey both submitted formal bids in 2022 to host COP31, but neither has agreed to step aside, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier this month to write directly to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in an effort to break the deadlock.
Bowen said the final decision will be made during COP30, asserting that “Australia has the overwhelming support of the world to host” the 2026 conference, according to remarks released by his office.
Bowen, speaking at Sydney Airport, said he will advocate forcefully for Australia’s candidacy at the summit in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belém, emphasising the country’s expanding clean-energy sector.
Canberra hopes to co-host COP31 with Pacific Island nations, a first-of-its-kind partnership aimed at spotlighting the region’s vulnerability to the “existential threat” of climate change.
“Australia has a lot at stake when it comes to climate change, but every effort we make now will help avert the worst impacts,” Bowen said, adding that the Pacific Islands Forum, a diplomatic bloc of 18 nations, is firmly backing Australia’s bid.
Many Pacific states face acute risks from rising sea levels and extreme weather.
Australia is seeking to reposition itself as a “renewable energy superpower” by shifting away from coal and gas, accelerating investment in critical minerals, green steel, large-scale batteries and other transition technologies.
Turkey, meanwhile, has argued that any COP host should prioritise financing for developing countries’ climate efforts, while using the platform to highlight Ankara’s progress toward its 2053 net-zero emissions goal.
COP gatherings have evolved from diplomatic negotiations into major global showcases where host nations promote climate policy, technology and economic opportunities, making the decision over who hosts COP31 both politically and commercially significant.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
