00:00Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, is the president
00:06of negotiations for the next climate change conference next year. Which is nice. It seems
00:12to be a consolation prize for Australia not hosting it, which Turkey will do. But Mr
00:16Bowen says it will give Australia and the Pacific unprecedented influence over what
00:21happens.
00:22Obviously it would be great if Australia could have it all.
00:27And it will also continue the tradition of fossil fuel producers running the climate
00:31change show. Which is why the words fossil fuel were left out of last week's COP30 communique
00:37in Brazil. And after 30 of these meetings, emissions are still rising.
00:43Australia is the world's third largest fossil fuel exporter. And the Albanese government
00:47has approved 32 new coal and gas projects since being elected in 2022. Presumably shooting
00:53for number one. Australia, in short, is the ultimate Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde when it comes
00:59to climate change. Although we don't switch by drinking a potion. We're good and bad at
01:05the same time. And we are pretty good. Apart from saying the right things and legislating
01:10ambitious emissions targets, our own electricity system is now 42 per cent renewable on average.
01:17The other day at 1 o'clock in the afternoon it was 65 per cent. And coal generation is expected
01:22to be zero in 13 years. But our exports simply blow that record away. Coal exports are starting
01:30to decline because it's more expensive now than renewables, but they're still very large.
01:35Gas is still rising. And with all the approvals for new projects, it's only going to keep rising.
01:40Of course, the argument is that if we don't supply the coal and gas, someone else will. But that's
01:46a bit like a drug dealer saying that if he doesn't supply the cocaine, someone else will.
01:52And in a way, fossil fuels are a drug that the world became hooked on and is now in rehab.
01:59And you're going to change your education sector. Yea, anyway, so you know your
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