Australia under fire as Pacific seeks climate lifeline

Detailed summary

Australia is facing renewed calls to phase out fossil fuels as it seeks international support to help Pacific nations fight climate change.

Australia's climate record has come under fire for a second day at United Nations talks in Turkey, with calls for the country to phase out fossil fuels and move faster to address climate change.

The criticism came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Pacific leaders at COP31 on Thursday and urged other countries and philanthropists to invest in projects to protect vulnerable island nations from the impacts of global warming.

The Pacific Resilience Facility set up to fund climate adaptation projects for the nations reached a $US200 million ($A293 million) funding milestone at the event, helped by its first philanthropic donation.

Australia is leading negotiations at the annual summit but has faced criticism from Swedish activist Greta Thunberg over the pace of its climate action, and environmental groups including Greenpeace over its failure to name fossil fuels as the cause of climate change.

Asked about Ms Thunberg's criticism, Mr Albanese defended Australia's climate policies and cited its target to reduce emissions by 43 per cent by 2030.

The prime minister also defended his decision not to mention fossil fuels in his opening address to the leaders' summit segment of COP31, saying he wanted to direct focus to the needs of Pacific nations.

The Pacific Resilience Facility roundtable at the event attracted representatives from nations including France, Spain, Sweden and Qatar, and heard Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr call for more funding rather than more promises.

"Our communities are confronting escalating climate impacts and devastating disasters, putting relentless pressure on the livelihoods of our infrastructure, our economy and our very way of life," he said.

"Let us not leave Antalya with merely another round of renewed promises."

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