Bowen to back electrification at UN climate summit

Australia and Türkiye signaled they would accelerate vehicle electrification at this year’s United Nations climate summit as the world grapples with the effects of fuel shortages resulting from conflicts in the Middle East.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen and his Turkish counterpart Murat Kurum hosted a ministerial meeting of 40 countries in Copenhagen on Wednesday and Thursday that will help shape the agenda for the COP31 conference in Antalya.

The annual Copenhagen talks are a stop on the way to the main summit and a chance to test new ideas in an informal setting.

Mr Bowen and Mr Kurum nominated electrification as a major priority.

The UN says the transportation sector accounts for 15 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

“High oil prices are putting pressure on all our citizens from Suva to Sydney to Stockholm,” Mr Bowen said.

During the meetings, it was emphasized that while countries are dealing with the largest oil shock in world history, the introduction of renewable energy sources also helps support energy independence.

“Nobody can approve the sun, nobody can block the wind,” Mr. Bowen said.

“Solar energy needs to travel 150 million kilometers to the earth, but it does not need to travel 150 kilometers across the Strait of Hormuz.”

Ministers mentioned the need for more rare earth minerals for car batteries. China has a monopoly on the processing of critical minerals.

“Of course, we will work with all countries currently supplying, but we also welcome other countries that are adding value for the first time,” Mr Bowen said.

Mr Bowen said the growing popularity of electric vehicles – one in four cars sold globally is battery-powered – was a sign of optimism.

Mr Bowen said Australians were buying an electric vehicle every 50 minutes four years ago, but in April they went from buying one every three minutes.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government introduced an electric car tax break in 2022 that will be rolled back over the next three years, according to the May budget.

The full tax credit will only apply to electric cars purchased under renewed leases valued at $75,000 or less from April 2027, with a 25 per cent fringe benefit tax credit for all electric vehicles below the luxury car tax threshold from April 2029.

But Mr Bowen rejected accusations of mixed messaging and downplayed the Climate Council’s concerns that the move would put a handbrake on sales.

“We’ve kept the EV discount; that discount still applies; we’ve adjusted it to reflect the fact that there are much more affordable models available in Australia,” he told AAP in Copenhagen.

“When we introduced the EV tax credit there wasn’t an EV under $40,000, now there are 10.”

Automobiles are not the only focus of electrification. Mr Kurum heaped praise on Denmark’s 12,000-kilometre cycle path network, with Danish acting climate minister Lars Aagaard highlighting the thousands of Danish families who ride electric cargo bikes to school and kindergarten daily.

“You can go to work longer, get a quieter city and fresh air,” Mr. Aagaard said.

Pacific island countries Palau, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands and Fiji were represented at the Copenhagen talks.

“The Pacific is too often sidelined at COPs… I want to change that,” Mr Bowen said.

“I will meet (Pacific island ministers) almost every day in Antalya… make sure they are fully aware of the incident and give me feedback.”

While in Copenhagen, Mr. Bowen and other ministers stopped by Amalienborg Palace to meet King Frederik of Denmark, who has a particular interest in climate change.

He and his Australian-born wife, Queen Mary, made a state visit to Australia in March, along with a large Danish green energy business delegation.

Denmark is a world leader in offshore wind energy and wants to help Australia transition to green energy.

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