Australia and Turkey criticised for hosting UN climate conference while embracing coal

Global campaign group 350.org is urging the hosts of the upcoming United Nations climate conference, Turkey and Australia, to announce a coal phase-out date and national roadmaps to transition away from fossil fuels. With the Cop31 summit set to take place in the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya in just a month, the two countries are facing backlash for their involvement in a coal supply chain while remaining largely silent on the urgent need for a global agreement to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

Preparations for Cop31 are ramping up this week, with a small group of national leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, expected to join representatives from over 50 countries for a preparatory meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu. Although pre-summit meetings are typically bureaucratic, this year's event has heightened expectations due to Australia's new role as the "president of negotiations" at Cop31. The Australian government has argued that hosting the summit in the Pacific will highlight the challenges faced by low-lying island nations.

However, attendance from leaders outside the region has been limited, with only five expected attendees confirmed by the Fijian government—from Thailand, Antigua and Barbuda, Cape Verde, the Maldives, and Timor-Leste—though some have since canceled, including the Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul due to severe flooding in Bangkok.