Cop 27: Australia, Pacific islands bid to host Cop 31

The Australian government will officially bid this week to co-host with its Pacific island neighbours the 31st UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop 31) in 2026.

The bid will be made by Australian delegates at the Cop 27 UN climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt that started on 6 November, said Australian energy and climate change minister Chris Bowen who is attending the annual climate talks. Australia had previously said it planned to bid hosting the Cop 29 but has pushed this back by two years.

"In hosting... Australia and Pacific countries would profile the impact of climate change on the region, accelerate global action and harness the economic opportunities from the clean energy transition," Bowen said. "We did consider bidding for Cop 29 in 2024. Given the geopolitical situation, we considered whether it wouldn't be a good idea for Australia to bid to host that, given the geopolitical situation and given that is only a few years away."

Next year's Cop 28 is to be held in the UAE. No country has yet been awarded the hosting of Cop 29.

Australia's ambition to host a Cop meeting emerged with the Labor party federal government in May after nine years of a Liberal-National party coalition administration, which prioritised policies to support further exports of thermal coal and LNG, rather than addressing the issue of climate change. Australia's credibility as a serious contributor to lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will come under scrutiny at this year's Cop, to see if the Labor government's promises of lowering GHGs is backed by meaningful actions.

Australia is also one of the world's largest exporters of fossil fuels through LNG and is the world's second-largest shipper of thermal coal.

By Kevin Morrison