A report, by campaign group 350.org, cited UN Comtrade data suggesting the supply of coking and thermal coal from Australia to Turkey had been responsible for more than 75m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions since the signing of the landmark Paris climate agreement in 2015. It said the countries were now expanding their trade in liquified natural gas (LNG).
The organisation said this had continued while the Cop31 presidents largely ignored fossil fuels – the primary cause of the climate crisis – in public comments before the summit. Three letters to countries setting out the mission and expectations for the summit, two from the Turkish government and one joint letter with the Australians, did not mention fossil fuels. Albanese also did not mention fossil fuels in a keynote speech at Climate Week in New York two weeks ago.