Australian CPO bid on the line as Turkey digs in

2 hours ago 3

Andrew Forrest has dismissed criticism of the cost of hosting COP climate talks in Australia next year as “puerile”, saying the event would put Australia at the focal point of the “historical battle for economic supremacy” between old and new energy technologies.

Climate Minister Chris Bowen (left) attended last year’s talks in Baku, but has yet to secure Australia’s hosting rights for 2026.

Speaking from Rio where he is one of only a handful of private sector figures invited to attend a meeting of world leaders preceding the COP climate talks, Forrest said next year’s meeting, which Australia is in competition to host with Turkey, would be a turning point for the world.

Pressure within the United Nations is mounting on Australia and Turkey to resolve the impasse over hosting rights for the event, which are ideally conferred upon host nations two years or more before the talks, a senior Australian government source has confirmed. Australia has the support of all members of its UN group, known as Western European and Others Group or WEOG, to host the event, apart from Turkey, which has refused to pull out of the race.

If the two cannot resolve the impasse, hosting duties will revert to Bonn, the headquarters of the UN’s chief climate agency, but Germany has expressed no interest in taking over the talks at the last minute. Some UN members are concerned that if the issue cannot be resolved it would set a dangerous precedent for the negotiations which are already under pressure due to the withdrawal of the United States and a resurgent fossil fuel industry.

The host nation, Brazil, does not want to see the issue further complicating the intricate and fraught negotiations over the coming fortnight.

Eyebrows have been raised in Brazil as this year’s talks commence that neither Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen nor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are attending the leaders’ meeting despite the Australian bid to host the COP along with its Australian neighbours.

On Wednesday night, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz confirmed he would attend, and the leaders of at least three Pacific nations – Papua New Guinea, Palau and Kiribati – are attending. Australia is being represented at the start of the talks by Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson, though he will later be joined by Bowen.

A headline in Brazilian press this week read, “Attempting to host COP31, Australia sends a second tier delegation to Belem.”

Australia began campaigning to host the COP after the Albanese government took office, and with overwhelming support in its UN group expected that its bid would succeed. When Turkey entered the race later, many observers expected it could be convinced to withdraw after negotiations, but Australian diplomatic efforts have so far failed.

The bid has been seen not only as a mechanism for Australia to increase its impact on climate diplomacy, but to firm ties with its Pacific neighbours, which describe climate as their key security priority, as competition with China intensifies.

“It is now very clear that this is a priority for President Erdogan and therefore Australian efforts need to continue to focus on working with him to find a solution,” said Jennifer Morgan, a former co-executive director of Greenpeace International and climate envoy for Germany.

“I think leader-to-leader communication needs to be part of that solution,” she said.

Albanese said earlier this week, during his visit to the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum in South Korea, that he had written to Erdogan. “There’s no real process for finalising the matter. I’ve written to President Erdogan of Turkey. We’re continuing to engage,” Albanese said.

This week The Australian Financial Review reported that hosting the COP would cost $1 billion, citing government sources, and cabinet is known to be divided on the potential benefits and costs.

While one diplomatic observer described the Australian bid as being “on life support”, Forrest, who founded Fortescue Mining and owns renewable energy developer Squadron Energy, said it could still be won.

“I’ll be very blunt. I’m here. I’m in the thick of it. I’m seeing governments’ negotiators from all over the world tired of the Turkish resistance.

“I’m seeing the Turkish team not really believing that they’ve got any chance of winning this bid, and their responses to questions, their responses to suggestions, are plainly that – just tired, barely interested.

“Australia, on the other hand, has this COP to win, and the Australian government has this COP to lose. If it steps forward and goes strong now, it’s got every chance of winning.”

A spokesperson for the Albanese government said it was making significant efforts to secure the event, with Bowen to lead the delegation to COP30 and Albanese ready to attend if needed.

“We remain strongly committed to our bid to host a COP31 in partnership with the Pacific. Climate change is an existential threat for our Pacific family,” the spokesperson said.

“The prime minister has publicly said he was willing to travel to Belem if it would make a difference to securing the COP31 bid and has written twice to President Erdogan seeking a resolution.”

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.