Coal will be a central pillar of COP31, wherever it's held

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 climate analysts Christopher Wright and Ufuk Alparslan

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AUSTRALIA and Turkiye 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.

The competition between these two countries trickled down into a daily banter, and at times, fierce rivalry.

For Turkiye, 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.

If Australia is successful, it could be hosted in a number of the country’s major cities, but Adelaide is looking like the most likely candidate.

The state’s premier hosted a welcome reception at COP29 this year, spruiking the opportunity that it could be the first COP hosted in a city run on 100 per cent renewables.

After a recent meeting in the Turkish capital of Ankara last week, the Turkish climate envoy noted that both countries had reached a “gentleman’s agreement” ahead of the upcoming Australian election in May.