COP31 Coal Ties Put Australia, Türkiye Under Pressure

COP31 Coal Ties Put Australia, Türkiye Under Pressure, New Report Finds

Australia and Türkiye are facing renewed pressure to set clear coal phase-out dates after a new report linked their bilateral coal trade to more than 75 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions since the Paris Agreement was signed, intensifying scrutiny of the two countries’ fossil fuel ties just weeks before they co-steer the COP31 climate summit.

Background

Türkiye holds the COP31 Presidency and will host the main summit in Antalya this November, while Australia serves as President of Negotiations under an arrangement reached after the two countries’ long standoff over hosting rights. Australia had originally pursued COP31 as a “Pacific COP” in partnership with low-lying South Pacific nations most threatened by rising seas and climate-fuelled disasters, but ultimately conceded the main hosting role to Türkiye, retaining instead a leadership role in negotiations and co-hosting responsibility for the Pre-COP meetings currently underway in Fiji and Tuvalu.

This arrangement has placed Australia’s climate credibility under particular scrutiny from Pacific civil society and advocacy groups, who have previously accused the country of hypocrisy given its continued expansion of coal and gas exports even as it positions itself as a partner and advocate for Pacific climate interests.

What the New Report Found

The new analysis, based on UN Comtrade data, found that Australia and Türkiye have maintained their bilateral coal trade while simultaneously expanding fossil fuel links through liquefied natural gas (LNG). The report estimates emissions from their coal trade at roughly four times Ethiopia’s annual CO₂ emissions, and notes that neither country has set a coal phase-out date — placing both among the few remaining industrialised countries without a timetable to end coal use.

The scale of each country’s coal dependence is significant: Australia is the world’s second-largest coal exporter and accounts for 56 percent of the global coal mine project pipeline, according to the report, while Türkiye remains Europe’s largest coal-power generator, with its own energy plan envisaging roughly 30 percent more coal and gas power capacity by 2035. The report further points to Australia’s recent extension of the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance Saraji coal mine, alongside Türkiye’s proposal to add 1,050 megawatts of coal capacity at the CENAL power plant in Karabiga, Çanakkale.

Pacific Criticism

Fenton Lutunatabua, a Pacific climate advocate, directly connected the findings to Australia’s COP31 role, noting that “Australia’s COP31 presidency bid relied heavily on support from Pacific nations” — a framing that underscores the political tension between Australia’s continued fossil fuel expansion and the trust it sought from Pacific island nations in securing its negotiating role at COP31.

This criticism echoes concerns raised by Pacific civil society throughout 2026, including warnings from Reverend James Bhagwan, general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, that continued coal and gas expansion “risks jeopardising relationships in the region and Australia’s legitimacy as a climate leader,” and from 350.org’s Pacific managing director Joseph Sikulu, who has accused the Australian government of hypocrisy given that emissions from its domestic fossil fuel projects dwarf those of the entire Pacific region.

Conclusion

As Pre-COP31 continues in Fiji and Tuvalu this week, the report’s findings add fresh tension to a relationship both countries have sought to position as a model of Pacific-centered climate leadership ahead of Antalya. With neither Australia nor Türkiye having committed to a coal phase-out date, and both countries continuing to expand fossil fuel infrastructure even as they prepare to steer the formal COP31 negotiations, the gap between their stated climate ambitions and their domestic energy policies is likely to remain a recurring point of scrutiny through November’s summit.