Nearly 100 campaign groups recentlycalled on COP31 climate summit co-hosts Turkey and Australia to ‘lead by example’ by addressing their reliance on planet-heating fossil fuels.
Turkey is staging the UN climate talks in November but Australia will oversee the formal negotiations, in an unusual arrangement reached after both countries bid to host the conference.
The summit is taking shape as war in the Middle East drives up energy and commodity prices and highlights the vulnerability of fossil-fuel dependent economies to supply shortages.
Turkey and Australia have encouraged countries to embrace renewable energy as a bulwark against unreliable energy imports.
But in an open letter on Friday, dozens of non-governmental organisations urged Turkey and Australia to ‘address the number one cause of the climate crisis — the burning of coal, oil and gas’.
‘Action on fossil fuels must start at home,’ said Duygu Kutluay from Beyond Fossil Fuels, one of 94 groups to sign the letter to COP31 president Murat Kurum and negotiations chief Chris Bowen.
‘Australia and Turkey have to lead by example, demonstrating the political will and consistency required to guide the world toward a COP that delivers real outcomes in halting the climate crisis.’
