Australia can switch from fossil fuel exports to renewables, says next Cop president | Cop31
Australia will find it increasingly difficult to export fossil fuels but could switch to exports of clean energy products, the head of the next UN climate talks has declared.
Speaking at a climate conference in Bonn, Germany, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, Chris Bowen, argued that his country was leading the global effort to “move away from fossil fuels” based on the rapid growth of renewable energy and batteries in local power grids, and that its economy could manage this transition.
Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and gas, and Anthony Albanese’s Labor government has approved more than 30 fossil fuel developments and expansions since its election in 2022. But Bowen acknowledged that fossil fuels and high-carbon products will face a shrinking market.
“We have to recognize that the world is committed to net zero; more than 80 percent of our trading partners are committed to net zero,” he said in an interview. “The world is changing. We can pretend it’s not happening, as some in Australian domestic politics have done. Or we can prepare.”
On renewable energy, Bowen said: “Our track record on this is now quite strong. Australia can play a role in decarbonising many countries. If you look at how we can work on our role as a potential renewable energy superpower, we can play a much bigger role in reducing emissions internationally.”
He said Australia, which together with the Pacific Islands is pushing for the first UN talks to resolve the “move away from fossil fuels” in 2023, has many advantages. “Yes, we are a big fossil fuel exporter. But we also have a great potential in the renewable energy sector. We are lucky in this respect. Not every country can do this,” he said.
The Bonn talks come as the Australian government is under pressure from the right-wing opposition to climate action. One Nation, a political party that denies rising temperatures and worsening extreme weather events, won 6 percent of the vote in last year’s federal election but has jumped to nearly 30 percent support in recent polls.
Australia is a leader in home solar power and more recently batteries. More than one in three homes have rooftop solar panels, and more than 400,000 small batteries have been installed since government support began in July. This reduced the demand for expensive gas-fired energy and began to reduce electricity bills.
In addition to exporting green energy from solar and wind to countries like Singapore that don’t have the resources to produce much of their own, Bowen said Australia could also export goods and services produced with clean energy to countries and companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
“You can export green hydrogen, you can export electrons through cables, you can do things with renewable energy, you can export green gigabytes, green AI. You can have data centers in Australia and export AI to countries that maybe can’t do that,” he said. “We will work with trade partners” [and] “As we develop new energy together, we will also be a reliable supplier of old energy.”
Bowen will chair the formal negotiations of the next UN climate summit, COP31, to be held in Türkiye this November. Turkish Environment Minister Murat Kurum will host, taking responsibility for the “action agenda”, which largely consists of voluntary actions undertaken by countries to combat the climate crisis.
Governments gathered this week and next week in Bonn, where the UN climate secretariat is located, for pre-COP31 preparatory talks. One of the most important issues discussed was the electrification required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, heating, cooling and industry.
The agency said electrification is “the most important tool in the toolbox” in tackling the climate crisis. “We cannot reach the goal unless we experience this transformation. [of limiting global heating to 1.5C].”
