Australia and Türkiye will take forward a presidency-led decision at COP31 aimed at strengthening climate action and keeping the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal within reach.
Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister and COP31 President of Negotiations Chris Bowen announced at the Pre-COP ministerial briefing in Nadi, saying the approach gives the summit the best chance of reaching an ambitious outcome.
“We feel that a presidency-led decision gives us the best chance of a strong ambitious outcome at COP 31,” Bowen said.
The decision will be developed in the weeks leading up to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, with Bowen saying Australia and Türkiye had discussed the options before agreeing on the approach.
He said the decision was being announced at Pre-COP so countries would have advance notice rather than being presented with it when they arrive in Antalya.
“We didn’t want to surprise people in Antalya with a presidency-led decision. We decided to announce it here, so there’s no surprises,” he said.
Bowen said the decision would seek to “send a signal, to follow the science, to keep 1.5 degrees within reach” and accelerate delivery of climate action.
He acknowledged the scientific evidence pointing to an overshoot of the 1.5°C threshold, but said countries needed to limit how far and for how long temperatures exceed it.
“We’ve got to overshoot it for as little and as short as possible and to accelerate delivery,” he said.
A major focus of the Pre-COP has been elevating the voice of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), particularly Pacific countries.
Bowen said this was an objective Australia and Türkiye had agreed on when planning their partnership to deliver COP31.
“We agreed immediately that we should use pre-COP to give us the best possible launching pad for COP31 and to use it as an opportunity to give a voice to those who struggled to be heard at COPs for many years, small island developing states best represented here by the Pacific,” he said.
The Taku Pakasoa Declaration, which followed a visit to Tuvalu by international leaders and climate officials, was highlighted by Bowen as another key outcome of the Pre-COP.
He said the declaration demonstrated the strength of collective action and reaffirmed the importance of climate science, tripling renewable energy, doubling energy efficiency and transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Climate finance is also expected to remain a key issue at COP31, with Bowen saying SIDS were among those most in need of finance but often received the least.
“The countries that need to finance the most get it the least, that’s got to change,” he said.
Bowen said Australia would launch an access-to-finance plan aimed at securing commitments from development banks and countries to improve access to finance for SIDS, including in the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean.
He also highlighted the Pacific Resilience Fund and said the Pacific’s priorities had been given greater attention through the Pre-COP process.
Other initiatives being advanced ahead of COP31 include an electrification pledge and a Global Rooftop Solar Pledge, with Australia working with other countries to expand rooftop solar.
Bowen said Australia, which has rooftop solar on about 35 percent of its houses, would work with other countries to increase its uptake globally.
Australia and Türkiye will now work in the coming weeks to develop the presidency-led decision ahead of COP31 in Antalya.
Bowen said the process would remain “open, transparent, and inclusive and predictable” as the two countries work towards an ambitious outcome.
