Australia and Turkey face backlash for hosting COP31 while expanding coal trade

Turkey and Australia, co-hosts of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, are under fire from climate activists for continuing to expand coal and LNG trade while avoiding firm commitments to phase out fossil fuels. A recent approval of the largest coal-mine expansion in New South Wales could add hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and data show Australian coal exports to Turkey have generated over 75 million tonnes of CO₂ since 2015.

Preparatory meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu have attracted few participants, with several leaders cancelling due to local crises. Neither the Turkish nor the Australian joint letters to delegations mention fossil fuels, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese omitted the issue in a recent New York Climate Week speech. Critics urge the hosts to set coal-phase-out dates, arguing the summit’s credibility is undermined by their ongoing fossil-fuel projects.