Why energy minister Chris Bowen is being called out for ’embarrassing Australia’ at a major international conference
Chris Bowen's call to end fossil fuel use appears to be falling on deaf ears at the UN Cop28 climate talks, prompting critics to mock the Climate Change and Energy Minister's impact .
“We must face this fact,” he said at a crisis meeting. 'If we want to keep 1.5 degrees alive, fossil fuels will not play a lasting role in our energy systems.'
“I speak as Minister of Climate and Energy for one of the largest exporters of fossil fuels in the world,” Bowen said.
“We embrace that fact and recognize it because we also live in the Pacific Ocean, and we will not see our brothers and sisters swamped and their countries swallowed up by the seas. We're not going to do that.'
Mr Bowen called for an end to fossil fuels during the talks, but a draft agreement showed this was a major hurdle to overcome.
Chris Bowen is pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
But as Mr. Bowen flew away from the two-week summit in Dubai, the conference released a draft agreement that failed to pledge to end fossil fuels and was so diluted in its commitments that climate advocates called it an “embarrassing and dismal failure.” .
Conservative commentator Steve Price was quick to highlight the disappointing outcome of Bowen's efforts, calling him a “climate fanatic and fantasist”, before accusing him of embarrassing Australia in the Sky News show The Bolt Report Tuesday evening.
“Chris Bowen decided, just like at home, to play the tough guy, full of blunders and hubris,” Price said.
'His hilarious statement included calls for Australia to end the use of fossil fuels in our energy network.
'He then went on to fulfill his fantasy by calling on the world not to phase out fossil fuel emissions, but to end their use completely.'
At the conference, Mr Bowen said phasing out fossil fuels was “Australia's greatest economic potential as a renewable energy superpower.”
Price disagreed that ending the use and export of fossil fuels was an economic opportunity for Australia.
'Seriously this is a senior minister in the Australian government rising up in the oil and gas kingdom Dubai He is calling for an end to Australia's fossil fuel exports, at the cost of billions and billions in lost revenue and hundreds of jobs,” Price said.
Price said it was “wonderful” that the draft agreement removed any mention of phasing out fossil fuels, even though the conference was being held in a small kingdom that still manages to be the world's eighth-largest oil producer.
“The Arab oil producers threw a talkfest about climate change and said 'thanks for coming', but we keep doing what makes Dubai's palaces possible and makes the country rich, wait for it, pumping oil out of the ground,” Price said. .
“It's so funny I wonder if the Australian Minister for Climate and Energy gets the joke.”
Host country United Arab Emirates produces more than 4 million barrels of oil per day and the hydrocarbon sector accounts for a quarter of the small Arab state's GDP, half of its exports and 80 percent of government revenues.
It is clear that the UAE's neighbor Saudi Arabia, the world's second largest oil producer, is the biggest stumbling block for the Cop28 to decide on stricter climate measures.
During the conference, Mr Bowen described the Saudi position as “blunt and clear”, but said he had had a long and respectful meeting with his Saudi counterpart.
“Not every country is on the same page yet,” Bowen said.
'That's why we're here. We didn't all arrive and get off the plane with the same speaking notes.
'That's what these conferences are about, to highlight the issues and build consensus.
Veteran climate activists and former US Vice President Al Gore did not hesitate to express their dissatisfaction with the Cop28 draft agreement.
“COP28 is now on the brink of complete failure,” he tweeted.
'This obsequious draft reads as if OPEC (the Association of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) had dictated it word for word. It is even worse than many feared.”
Conservative firebrand Steve Price didn't hold back when commenting on Chris Bowen's 'performance' during the Cop28 talks
Mr Gore said only one thing could save the proceedings.
“To avoid COP28 becoming the most shameful and dismal failure in 28 years of international climate negotiations, the final text must include clear language on phasing out fossil fuels,” he said.
“Anything else is a huge step back from where the world should be.”