Australia and Pacific island nations had hoped to leave this year’s global climate talks in Azerbaijan having won a bid to host the 2026 summit.
Instead, that decision on who will host the 31st “conference of the parties” (COP31) has been deferred until June next year – after Australia’s next federal election. Turkey, the only other country in the running to host COP31, has resisted lobbying efforts to persuade them to drop out.
The seven-month delay risks a less ambitious summit in 2026, because it takes time to build consensus for global initiatives. A decent run-up is needed to develop an ambitious action agenda.
