Australia's hopes of hosting next year's COP31 climate summit are fading amid a deadlock with Türkiye, which could result in both countries missing out.
It comes as Ethiopia was announced as the host of the United Nations' COP32 in 2027, after fending off a rival bid from Nigeria.
But who will host next year's event remains undecided, with both Australia and Türkiye refusing to back down.
COP host countries adopt a presidency role, which allows them to set goals for the summit and showcase their own climate issues, as well as an important position in resolving any conflicts that arise during negotiations.
If the dispute cannot be resolved, the conference will be held in Bonn, Germany, where the UN climate agency is based.
"We would have to, but we do not want to," German state secretary in the environment ministry Jochen Flasbarth told reporters.
Pacific islands support Australia's bid
Australia made its bid to host COP31 in Adelaide with the support of the Pacific Islands Forum, a bloc of 18 countries among the most vulnerable to climate change.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but Türkiye has refused to concede and withdraw its bid to host in Antalya.
Türkiye has previously argued its Mediterranean location would help reduce emissions from flights bringing delegates to the conference, and has pointed out its smaller oil and gas industry compared to Australia.
In July, the UN urged Australia and Türkiye to resolve the hosting standoff, calling the delay unhelpful and unnecessary. It had set a deadline of June for the group to reach consensus.
Ethiopia to host in 2027
At a plenary session of this year's event in Brazil, Ethiopia confirmed it had been endorsed by fellow African countries to hold the 2027 conference in its capital, Addis Ababa.
"We are deeply grateful for the trust and confidence bestowed on the Ethiopian people and government," Ethiopian ambassador to Brazil Leulseged Tadese Abebe told a plenary session of the COP30 summit.
"COP32 will play a major role in guiding climate action in this critical decade."
COP summits rotate around the world's regions and the decision must be unanimous among all countries in the region.
The decision still needs to be officially adopted but this is now considered a formality.
This year's conference is being held in the Amazonian city of Belem.
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