Canberra: The state of South Australia (SA) has announced that it will bid to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2026.
Premier of SA Peter Malinauskas on Monday said that SA would bid to host the 31st Conference of Parties (COP) summit at the Adelaide Convention Centre in November 2026.
A feasibility study commissioned by the state government concluded that Adelaide, the state capital and Australia’s fifth-largest city, would be able to successfully host the meeting of 197 nations.
The study found Adelaide has enough accommodation for all visiting delegates and could offer a safe and secure experience for attendees. It estimated that the event would deliver an economic benefit worth 511.6 million Australian dollars (344.6 million U.S. dollars) to the state’s economy.
“South Australia is already a world leader in renewable energy and decarbonisation and hosting COP31 would firmly put our state on the global map,” Malinauskas said on Monday.
“We are a state which recognizes the challenge of climate change, but we haven’t waited for others to lead, we have chosen to take world-leading action. This makes us the natural and logical choice to host COP31 in 2026.”
The federal government announced in November 2022 that Australia would bid to host COP31 after withdrawing from a bid for COP29, which will be held in Azerbaijan in November.
Held annually, the UN Climate Change Conference serves as the formal meeting of the COP to assess progress in dealing with climate change.
Malinauskas in February brought forward SA’s net zero electricity target from 2030 to 2027.
