The Albany Gazette - COP31 hosts urged to 'lead by example' on 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."

Both countries were "highly fossil fuel-dependent economies that have committed to work towards a cleaner future", the letter said.

It called on Turkey to impose "an immediate moratorium on all new coal-fired power plant investments" and set a deadline for exiting the polluting energy source.

The letter urged Australia, meanwhile, to commit to developing a national plan for its transition away from fossil fuels, including winding down coal and gas exports "with an immediate end to new projects".

Australia is a major fossil fuel exporter and relies heavily on coal for power generation, as does Turkey.

Both countries invest in renewable energy and have targets for reducing heat-trapping emissions, but neither has adopted a national "roadmap" explicitly setting out how it will wind down fossil fuel use.

"Phasing out fossil fuels is not merely an emission reduction goal," said Tanyeli Behic Sabuncu from WWF Turkey, which also signed the letter.

"It is also a pathway toward a liveable world for people and nature as well as energy security for consumers and businesses."

The letter was published as thousands of climate negotiators gather in the German city of Bonn this week and next to lay the groundwork for COP31.

Bonn is where texts are drafted and differences narrowed ahead of the decisions taken by political leaders at COP31, which is due to start November 9 in Antalya.

(K.Lee--TAG)