Anthony Albanese fails to mention fossil fuels in Cop summit speech

Australian PM boasts of success in renewables but is criticised for not addressing the nation’s huge coal industry

Anthony Albanese said governments had a “solemn responsibility” to act on climate change in a historic speech to the UN’s climate summit, but one which failed to mention the fossil fuels driving the crisis.

The Australia prime minister landed in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya on Wednesday morning where the Cop31 talks are being presided over by his climate change minister, Chris Bowen, but hosted by Turkey.

Only moments before Albanese spoke, on the same stage the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said unambiguously that keeping the 1.5C temperature goal alive “means no new coal”.