- Critical to guiding the world to a better future
- Critical to the survival of many Pacific nations
- A driver for faster transition in Australia
- 150 world leaders, 85,000 delegates, bigger than four AFL Grand Finals
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP) is the critical annual event that’s guiding the world through the climate crisis to a better future.
Over 85,000 delegates attended COP last year in Dubai. They included more than 150 Heads of State and Government. As an event, it’s the equivalent of four AFL Grand Final weeks.
Delegates at the Better Futures Forum in Canberra heard why COP should come to Australia and the Pacific in 2026 with the release of Winning bid: The Pacific partnership that can power our security and prosperity, a new report by the Climate Council and Smart Energy Council.
Pacific island nations are facing the brunt of climate change while Australia is the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter.
But Australian families are world leaders in adopting solar, with Australian innovation driving the development of cutting-edge solar and battery technologies globally.
And Australia’s mining industries are working hard to transition to sustainability and to create the green iron, green steel, and other green minerals that China, Japan, Korea and our other trading partners will demand, so they can meet the expectations of their global customers, and their communities.
And we have endless sun, to fuel the transition.
“Azerbaijan, as the incoming COP presidency, faces a heavy lift this year—especially with the finance agenda. Brazil is bringing nature and adaptation visions to the table as it prepares for COP30,” says Natalie Unterstell, President of the Talanoa Institute in Brazil.
“Australia may have a crucial role to play in ensuring that we don’t drift away from the destination we’ve agreed upon as a global society—a 1.5ºC-aligned future. Australia must help us anchor a safe and just future in the arc to COP 31,” she says.
The new report (released 11 September) details how co-hosting COP31 would showcase Australia’s own long-term net zero transition. It would bring representatives of national delegations, civil society, business, Indigenous Peoples, youth, philanthropy, and international organizations.
It will encourage more investment, growth and job creation within key industries like clean energy, green hydrogen, and critical minerals.
It will provide the greatest chance of cutting climate pollution around the globe coming at the middle of the ‘make or break’ decade for limiting temperature rise.
Our region’s collective wellbeing, safety and prosperity depends on how quickly we can drive down climate pollution this decade. Hosting United Nations climate talks is an opportunity to recast Australia’s trading relationships in Asia and secure our economic future as a clean energy powerhouse.
Co-hosting the UN Climate Conference in Australia and the Pacific in 2026 is key to turning our nation away from fossil fuels and fully into renewables.
Hosting the entire world in Sydney, Brisbane or even Adelaide for COP31 and sharing that Presidency with the Pacific, will bring a level of scrutiny and accountability that we have never had before.
Co-hosting is directly in line with Australia’s economic interests in selling a Future Made in Australia to Asian trading partners and in line with its security interests in being the partner of choice for the Pacific.
Salā Dr George Carter, Climate Council Fellow, said: “For the Pacific, climate change is the greatest threat to their security and livelihoods; like many Australians, they are living with climate impacts. From Sydney to Suva to Majuro, all our communities are being pushed to their limits by worsening heat, bushfires, floods, storms, and rising seas. No household or community is immune.
“Presiding over COP31 in partnership with Pacific nations will show Australia’s genuine commitment to tackling this challenge head-on. Our future safety and prosperity depend on driving down climate pollution this decade by shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and ensuring climate finance reaches communities and households who are uniquely vulnerable to climate impacts. Together, we can lead the global charge for urgent climate action.”
The Hon Annastacia Palaszczuk, International Ambassador of the Smart Energy Council said: “As the Queensland Premier who kicked off the Jobs and Energy Plan that’s transforming the Sunshine State’s economy, it’s clear to me that co-hosting the COP can do the same for our nation.
“Making the most of hosting the COP requires having a two-year runway, meaning the Australian Government must do all it can to lock the bid in this year.”
Smart Energy Council International Director Richie Merzian said: “Australia has everything it needs to become a renewable energy and critical minerals superpower, and the best global platform to demonstrate this transition is through co-hosting COP31 in 2026.
“As the biggest international trade fair and most influential talks on climate change, securing the event here will deliver enormous economic and security benefits for Australian interests immediately, and into the future.”
The Better Futures Forum (10-11 September) is Australia’s largest multi-sectoral gathering on climate. The third forum at Canberra’s National Film and Sound Archive has showcased significant strides in community-based climate solutions and share insights on scalable solutions in the global race to net zero.