Nearly 100 campaign groups have urged COP31 co-hosts Turkey and Australia to "lead by example" by confronting their reliance on coal, oil and gas. The letter calls for an immediate moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in Turkey and for Australia to publish a national plan to wind down coal and gas exports and stop new fossil projects. Both countries have renewable investments and emissions targets but lack explicit national roadmaps to phase out fossil fuels. The appeal coincides with preparatory negotiations in Bonn ahead of COP31, which opens on November 9 in Antalya.
Nearly 100 Campaign Groups Urge COP31 Co-Hosts Turkey and Australia to 'Lead by Example' on Fossil Fuels
Turkey and Australia agreed to share duties for COP31 after both countries bid to host the UN climate summit. (Pablo PORCIUNCULA)(Pablo PORCIUNCULA/AFP/AFP)
Nearly 100 campaign groups have called on COP31 co-hosts Turkey and Australia to set a stronger example on tackling the fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis.
Turkey will host the United Nations climate talks in Antalya this November, while Australia will oversee the formal negotiations — an uncommon split that followed competing bids by both countries. The summit is taking shape against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, which has pushed up energy and commodity prices and underscored how vulnerable fossil-fuel-dependent economies are to supply shocks.
Groups Demand Concrete Domestic Action
In an open letter delivered to COP31 president Murat Kurum and negotiations chief Chris Bowen, 94 non-governmental organisations urged both co-hosts to "address the number one cause of the climate crisis — the burning of coal, oil and gas." Signatories include Beyond Fossil Fuels and WWF Turkey.
"Action on fossil fuels must start at home," said Duygu Kutluay of Beyond Fossil Fuels. "Australia and Turkey have to lead by example, demonstrating the political will and consistency required to guide the world toward a COP that delivers real outcomes in halting the climate crisis."
The letter sets out specific demands: it asks Turkey to impose an immediate moratorium on all new coal-fired power plant investments and to set a clear deadline to phase out coal. Australia is urged to publish a national plan for a managed transition away from fossil fuels, including winding down coal and gas exports and ending approvals for new projects.
Where The Two Countries Stand
Both Australia and Turkey are major coal users for electricity generation; Australia is also a significant fossil fuel exporter. Each country has invested in renewable energy and set emissions reduction targets, but neither has published a detailed national "roadmap" that explicitly outlines how it will scale down fossil fuel production and exports.
"Phasing out fossil fuels is not merely an emission reduction goal," said Tanyeli Behic Sabuncu of WWF Turkey. "It is also a pathway toward a liveable world for people and nature as well as energy security for consumers and businesses."
The appeal was released as thousands of climate negotiators meet in Bonn this week to prepare texts and narrow differences ahead of COP31. Bonn is the venue where draft texts are negotiated before political leaders take final decisions at the conference, which opens on November 9 in Antalya.
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