From Australia to Turkey and, reluctantly, Germany: the tug-of-war over hosting Cop31

"Delegates turning up in the Amazonian city of Belem for the Cop30 climate conference were greeted by what some interpreted as a less than subtle dig by the Brazilian hosts. The pavilions for Australia and Turkey the countries that for more than three years have been competing to host the next Cop summit in November 2026 had been placed side by side in the convention centre."

"The message appeared clear: hurry up and sort it out. The reality was apparently more prosaic. Climate conferences are sprawling events with tens of thousands of people, and the country holding the next Cop is often sited near the UN climate office and the current host to make communication easier. In this case, with no clarity on who will host Cop31, both countries are in the loop, location-wise."

"It seems unlikely that clarity will emerge until the sleepless final stages of the fortnight-long meeting that began on Monday. And nearly everyone is frustrated by the deadlock. Speaking to journalists in Sydney on Thursday, Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, had written to him in the previous 24 hours to say he was maintaining his position that the event should be held in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya."

"Albanese said this was in response to Australia maintaining our position in earlier correspondence that it wants to cohost a Pacific Cop in partnership with island nations in part to highlight that they are already experiencing the climate crisis as an existential threat and need greater support. He stressed that a Cop had never been held in the Pacific, and said he had since spoken with Surangel Whipps Jr, the president of Palau, and James Marape, Papua New Guinea's prime minister,"

Delegates at Cop30 in Belem noticed Australia and Turkey pavilions placed side by side, reflecting their long-running competition to host the next COP summit in November 2026. The placement followed standard practice of siting potential next-host countries near the UN climate office and current host to ease communication. No decision has been made on Cop31, leaving both countries effectively in the loop and delegations frustrated by the deadlock. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said Turkish president Erdogan insisted on Antalya, while Australia seeks to cohost a Pacific COP with island nations and has advocated Adelaide as host.

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