Canberra, November 6, 2026: Ahead of COP31 in Türkiye next week, industry group FutureCoal has urged climate negotiators to give greater consideration to energy security, affordability and industrial development, arguing that climate policies should reflect the energy realities of different countries.
FutureCoal Chief Executive Michelle Manook said successive climate summits had focused too heavily on political declarations rather than delivering practical outcomes. She warned that COP31 risked repeating the shortcomings of previous negotiations.
“Energy security should never have been taken off the table,” Manook said, arguing that coal remains important for electricity generation and industrial development in many countries. She called for greater emphasis on improving coal mining, processing and utilization rather than focusing exclusively on its phase-out.
FutureCoal is calling for wider access to financing and regulatory approvals for technologies it says can reduce emissions, including carbon capture and storage, high-efficiency power generation and methane abatement. It also supports the use of renewables alongside coal in diversified energy systems.
The organization cited China’s coal-to-chemicals and synthetic fuel industries, India’s coal gasification initiatives and South Africa’s long-standing use of coal-derived fuels and chemicals as examples of coal’s industrial applications.
These approaches are aligned with FutureCoal’s Sustainable Coal Stewardship strategy, which promotes improved efficiency, emissions management and higher-value uses across the coal value chain.
Manook said COP31’s guiding principles of “Dialogue, Consensus and Action” should encourage stronger engagement with industry, engineers and technology developers, particularly to address the energy needs of developing economies.
She reiterated FutureCoal’s call for countries to retain the flexibility to choose energy technologies suited to their national circumstances, adding that meaningful climate action requires the participation of industry and wider recognition of available technologies.
