Australia will find exporting fossil fuels increasingly difficult but can switch to exporting clean energy products, the president of the next UN climate negotiations has declared.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a climate conference in Bonn, Germany, Chris Bowen<\/a>, Australia\u2019s minister for climate change and energy, argued his country had led the global push to \u201ctransition away from fossil fuels\u201d \u2013 based on the rapid growth of renewable energy and batteries in its domestic power grids \u2013 and that its economy could manage the switch.<\/p>\n Australia is one of the world\u2019s biggest exporters of coal and gas, and the Labor government of Anthony Albanese has approved more than 30 fossil fuel developments and expansions since its election in 2022. But Bowen acknowledged fossil fuels and high-carbon goods would face a shrinking market.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to recognise that the world is committed to net zero \u2013 more than 80% of our trading partners are committed to net zero<\/a>,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cThe world is changing. We can pretend that\u2019s not happening, as some in Australian domestic politics do. Or we can prepare.\u201d<\/p>\n On renewable energy, Bowen said: \u201cOur track record on that is pretty strong now<\/a>. 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 could play a much bigger role in reducing emissions internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n He said Australia, which along with the Pacific Islands pushed for UN talks<\/a> in 2023 to resolve to \u201ctransition away from fossil fuels\u201d for the first time, had many advantages. \u201cYes, we\u2019re a large fossil fuels exporter. But we also happen to have huge potential in the renewable energy sector. We\u2019re blessed in that regard. Not every country can do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Bonn talks come as the Australian government is under pressure at home from a right wing opposed to climate action. One Nation, a political party that denies temperatures are increasing and extreme weather events are worsening, received 6% of the vote in last year\u2019s federal election but has leapt to about 30% support in recent polling<\/a>.<\/p>\n Australia is a leader in household solar and, more recently, batteries. More than one in three homes have rooftop solar panels and more than 400,000 small batteries have been installed<\/a> since a government subsidy began in July. That has reduced demand for expensive gas-fired power and started to lower power bills<\/a>.<\/p>\n As well as exporting green energy from solar and wind to countries such as Singapore that lack the resources to generate much of their own, Bowen said Australia could export goods and services made with clean energy to countries and companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can export green hydrogen, you can export electrons through cables, you can make things with that renewable energy, you can export green gigabytes, green artificial intelligence. You can have datacentres in Australia and export the AI to countries that maybe can\u2019t do that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll work with trading partners [and] will also be a reliable supplier of old energy as we\u2019re developing together new energy.\u201d<\/p>\n Bowen will preside over the formal negotiations at the next UN climate summit, Cop31<\/a>, in Turkey this November. The Turkish environment minister, Murat Kurum, will co-host, taking charge of the \u201caction agenda\u201d, which largely consists of voluntary actions countries undertake to tackle the climate crisis.<\/p>\n