COP31 Hosts Australia and Turkey Face Coal Hypocrisy Claims From 350.org, A Month Before Summit

Turkey and Australia are set to co-host COP31, the next major United Nations climate conference, in the Turkish city of Antalya next month. Turkey's environment minister, Murat Kurum, will serve as COP31 president. Australia's climate minister, Chris Bowen, holds the newly created role of president of negotiations, according to The Hindu.

Climate campaign group 350.org says both hosts are dodging the one topic that matters most: fossil fuels. The group's head of political strategy, Andreas Sieber, says three pre-summit letters to participating nations, two from Turkey and one joint letter with Australia, never mention fossil fuels at all. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly skipped the topic too in a keynote speech at Climate Week in New York.

The Numbers Behind the Criticism

350.org's report, citing UN Comtrade data, says Australian coal shipments to Turkey have produced more than 75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015. The group says both countries are now ramping up liquefied natural gas trade on top of that.

The timing doesn't help. Days before a preparatory climate meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu, a New South Wales regulator approved the largest coal mine expansion in that state's history. Joint owners Yancoal and Glencore want a 19-year extension at the Hunter Valley Operations mine, which they estimate could generate 809 million tonnes of CO2 if it clears federal approval.

Sieber argues the hosts should copy Brazil, last year's COP30 host, and publish a roadmap for ditching fossil fuels, plus set actual coal phase-out dates. "Amidst the biggest energy crisis in history, it is extraordinary that the Cop31 presidency continues to ignore the central issue of fossil fuels," he said, according to The Guardian. "Rather than leading the transition away, both countries are still expanding fossil fuels at extreme rates."

The Other Side of the Ledger

350.org's framing leaves out crucial context. Neither government has hidden the ball on this. Australia is the world's third-largest fossil fuel exporter behind Russia and the United States, according to The Hindu, with coal and LNG shipments projected to top A$140 billion this year, per PIQ Markets. Turkey is Europe's largest coal-power generator and has publicly stated plans to grow its coal and gas power capacity by roughly 30% by 2035. Domestically, fossil fuels supply about 90% of Australia's energy and roughly 80% of Turkey's.

These are not secret agendas. They reflect the current structure of two economies that rely on exactly the fuel the activists want phased out. Bowen, Australia's climate minister, acknowledged the country's role as a fossil fuel exporter but argued that climate action still aligns with Australia's economic and strategic interests, according to PIQ Markets. He didn't commit to a coal phase-out date.

COP31's own stated priority is electrifying industry and transport, aiming to lift electricity's share of final energy demand from just over 20% today to 35% by 2035. That's a real target with a number attached. It's also not the same thing as a fossil fuel phase-out date, which is what 350.org is demanding.

A Pacific Summit With a Thin Guest List

Australia pitched the pre-COP meeting, running October 5-8 in Fiji and Tuvalu, as a chance to spotlight Pacific island nations threatened by rising seas, according to Reuters as carried by Japan Today. Only five leaders from outside the Pacific bloc confirmed attendance: Antigua and Barbuda, Cabo Verde, Thailand, the Maldives and East Timor. Thailand's prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, later canceled as Bangkok dealt with severe flooding.

Vanuatu's climate minister, Ralph Regenvanu, called the turnout a reflection of "the lack of attention and priority given to what Pacific nations consider the greatest threat to their future." Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. put it more bluntly, telling partner nations, "If you're a true partner, then deliver." Australian opposition parties, per Reuters, branded the low turnout "a diplomatic disaster." Roughly 30 country and institutional representatives are expected in the leaders' segment, with about 4,000 delegates total descending on Fiji for the broader talks.

What's Still Unresolved

Neither host has announced a coal phase-out date or a fossil fuel roadmap as of today. The Hunter Valley mine expansion still needs federal sign-off in Canberra before it can proceed on top of its state approval. Whether COP31's electrification target, set for 2035, translates into any binding commitment on coal, oil or gas exports from either host country remains the open question heading into Antalya next month.