Turkey and Australia Expand Fossil Fuels Ahead of COP31

Turkey and Australia, the hosts of the 2026 COP31 climate conference, are expanding domestic coal, oil and gas production while maintaining no national timetable for a fossil‑fuel phase‑out. In Turkey, new coal‑fired power projects and a planned oil refinery expansion have been approved, and the government has signalled a continued reliance on coal to meet electricity demand. Australia’s federal and state governments are moving forward with large coal‑mining contracts and new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export licences, even as the country’s climate policy framework remains largely unchanged.

Climate experts argue that the hosts’ continued investment in fossil fuels undermines the credibility of COP31, which is expected to set the next generation of global climate targets. “The hosts are the most visible example of the disconnect between national actions and the Paris Agreement commitments,” said Dr. Elena Morales, a climate policy analyst at the Climate Institute. Without a clear, enforceable national phase‑out plan, the conference risks being seen as a symbolic event rather than a decisive step toward limiting global warming.