Key facts
- Albanese cited doubling renewable energy generation in six years, reaching half of Australia's electricity, and large rooftop solar and battery markets.
- Guterres said unabated coal power must be all but phased out by 2040 and oil and gas use cut by a third.
- Australia is the world's second largest exporter of coal for power stations and the largest exporter of coal for steelmaking.
- A fifth of the world's exported LNG comes from Australia, according to the report.
- Adam Bandt of the Australian Conservation Foundation said Albanese bluntly ignored Guterres's message by not mentioning coal and gas.
- Bill Hare of Climate Analytics said 38 fossil projects had been approved by the Albanese government since it was elected in 2022.
Anthony Albanese told the Cop31 climate summit in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya on November 11, 2026 that governments had a "solemn responsibility" to act on climate change, in a speech that did not mention the fossil fuels driving the crisis. The Australia prime minister arrived in Antalya on the morning of November 11, where the talks are presided over by his climate change minister, Chris Bowen, and hosted by Turkey.
Only moments before Albanese spoke, UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said on the same stage that keeping the 1.5C temperature goal alive "means no new coal". Guterres said leaders, and in particular those from developed countries, "cannot keep expanding fossil fuel production while claiming to be committed to 1.5 degrees". He said coal power had to fall by at least 75% by 2035, that unabated coal power "must be all but phased out" by 2040, and that oil and gas use had to be cut by a third.
Albanese said it was "an historic moment for my country" and that Australia was "proud to be a leader on climate action", a renewable energy leader creating clean industries and jobs, and "fighting for the interests of our Pacific family". He pointed to doubling renewable energy generation in six years, reaching half of the country's electricity, and building one of the world's biggest rooftop solar and battery markets.
Australia is the world's second largest exporter of coal for burning in power stations and the largest exporter of coal for steelmaking, and a fifth of the world's exported LNG comes from Australia. Guterres and several countries are pushing the talks to progress a proposal from last year's Cop hosts, Brazil, for countries to develop detailed plans to move away from fossil fuels.