COP31 must deliver practical results, accelerate clean energy transition: Australia's Albanese

Detailed summary

PM Anthony Albanese urges countries to turn climate commitments into action, calling for greater investment in clean energy, faster electrification and climate finance for vulnerable nations.

The UN Climate Conference (COP31), hosted by Türkiye, must deliver "practical results," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a summit in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

"By acting together, the world can make a practical difference," Albanese said, addressing the COP31 Leaders' Summit on Wednesday.

Türkiye is hosting COP31, and Australia is president of the negotiations.

"There is hope. (And) the good news is that real and rapid progress is possible," he said, citing progress made under the Paris Agreement.

Before the Paris Agreement, he added, "the world was heading for around four degrees of warming."

"Today, estimates put that trajectory at around 2.6 degrees. The world's goal, of course, is 1.5. But while we will likely overshoot 1.5 degrees, every fraction of a degree of warming we prevent will count," Albanese said.

The Australian prime minister said the ongoing period was a "critical decade (and) we must take that action now, and that is why we are all here to demonstrate what we can achieve together (with) every nation acting."

"We have a solemn responsibility to this and to future generations to act," Albanese said.

COP31 "must be where our cooperation delivers practical results, unlocking investment in clean energy technologies, accelerating electrification, speeding up action for our oceans, unlocking climate finance for those who need it most," he added.

Opening of the article, excerpted from TRT World. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.