Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, is about to embark on his most significant diplomatic challenge. For the next two weeks, Bowen takes on the role of “president of negotiations” at the United Nations climate summit, COP31, in Turkey, also called Türkiye.

Bowen is regarded as a strong negotiator, held in high esteem by close observers of the COP process. As well as legislating Australia’s emissions targets, Bowen had policy wins on vehicle emissions standards and renewable energy funding.

However, in Turkey he faces his biggest challenge yet. Australia’s significant contribution to climate change as a fossil fuel exporter hangs over its negotiating team. This is especially the case if Australia wants to showcase its “partnership with the Pacific”, a region acutely vulnerable to climate change.

Bowen will also need to balance competing goals: working with host Turkey in an unprecedented power-sharing arrangement, while acting as chief negotiator.

At last year’s conference in the Brazilian city of Belém, an impasse between Australia and Turkey over who would host was broken with a compromise deal. Turkey would host the 2026 climate summit, and Australia would shape the agenda and co-host an earlier Pacific pre-COP meeting in the Pacific to discuss the threat of climate........

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