Speech to the SB64 Opening Plenary, Bonn, Germany

Distinguished colleagues, dear friends. My friend Murat Kurum, Your excellencies, When we departed Belem in November last year, we did not know that when we gathered for the next time here in Bonn that the world would have experienced the worst energy crisis in our history, indeed we would still be experiencing it. Our economies, our supply chains, our people have been buffeted by fossil fuel supply price shocks – dealing with these has been the primary focus for our governments in recent months.

And friends, while we do not know exactly when the Strait of Hormuz will open, the conflict will ease and the Middle East will return to more normal arrangements, we do know this. That crises like this, in a highly contested and uncertain geopolitical environment, will get more frequent, not less. More unpredictable, not less.

Worse, not better. And while we have all been dealing with this short term crisis, the overriding importance of dealing with climate change has not abated. Temperature records have continued to tumble.

Climate induced natural disasters continue to get worse – they are increasingly frequent and increasingly less predictable. Every country in the world is impacted – but the proportionate burden for smaller, less developed countries is unmistakeable. And so the focus on us, the pressure on us for results, the imperative for progress is high.

But my friends, I don’t want you to think that because I start with these very real challenges that I am a pessimist. The opposite is true. Because the better news is, the answers to these challenges are not in conflict, but are in complete harmony.

More clean energy. More electrification. Less dependence on fossil fuels.

More energy sovereignty and reliability. Lower emissions. Accelerating the energy transition will ease shocks to our energy systems.

Striving to achieve the Paris temperature goal will avoid massive economic costs. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the Stern Review, which showed the economic costs of climate action are massively outweighed by the costs of inaction. The fragility of fossil fuel supply chains make this case even more compelling.

Solar energy must travel 150 million kilometres from the sun to the earth, but it does not have to travel the 150 kilometres through the Strait of Hormuz. The wind cannot be sanctioned. Hydro energy cannot be blockaded.

And so, when we say COP31 must be a COP of implementation and acceleration – we mean it. We have to send a message to investors, to corporate boards, to economies that we are collectively committed to the task of decarbonising, building renewable energy and reducing fossil fuel reliance. Together, we have bent the curve on global temperature rise from 4 degrees before Paris to 2.8 degrees now.

Paris catalysed the biggest modernisation of our energy systems since the industrial revolution. But now it falls to us to do more. This is our first gathering since COP30.

While Murat Kurum and I have taken the opportunity to consult with many Parties bilaterally – including at Petersberg and Copenhagen, as well as individual consultations – this is our first opportunity to see all groups and Parties. So let me make it clear that COP31 will be marked by transparency, inclusivity and predictability. Australia and Türkiye are working together seamlessly and with one goal.

We are working together to ensure the Action Agenda, which Türkiye leads, and the negotiations, which Australia leads, complement each other and lead to real progress. Australia and Türkiye ask all Parties to come to Antalya in the same spirit which saw us strike our innovative co-operative agreement in Belem last year. I am committed to meeting with all groups this week to better understand your priorities and how we can advance them.

Consensus is never automatic – and rarely easy – but it is achievable and essential. Let us start with the fundamentals of the Paris Agreement. Submissions of NDCs, Biennial Transparency Reports and National Adaptation Plans are essential.

I encourage all Parties to submit their updated 2035 NDCs ahead of COP31. At SB64, we must make progress across the full agenda. Work programs review on just transition, mitigation, agriculture, and more, are a chance to align our work for real-world impact.

There are important opportunities to progress the Just Transition Mechanism. Strengthen adaptation frameworks. Deliver on climate finance, including implementing the NCQG and scaling adaptation finance, and finalising arrangements for the Adaptation Fund to get it moving.

And to align investment with the Paris goals. More broadly, we want to work with you and international partners to improve access to finance for vulnerable countries, particularly for small island developing states and least developed countries. That is an absolutely key priority.

The Belem Mission to 1.5 and Global Implementation Accelerator are excellent opportunities to support implementation, cooperation and investment. We welcome your full participation. Friends, as you are all aware, COP31 is being delivered in partnership with the Pacific.

COP31 will elevate Pacific voices. Pre-COP will be held in Fiji, with an important segment in Tuvalu. It is a critical step in the annual UNFCCC process, and Australia and our Pacific family will set a foundation for strong outcomes in Antalya.

I’m delighted that three Pacific Climate Envoys will play an important role in COP31. Tina Stege from the Republic of Marshall Islands, Regional Envoy for Oceania - focused on keeping 1.5 within reach. Ruel Yamuna, from Papua New Guinea, Envoy for Access to Climate Finance.

And Hon. Inia Seruiratu MP, from Fiji, Envoy for the Ocean. They will be key members of our team – I encourage you to see them, hear from them and share your insights with them.

I also would like you to get to know our COP31 Youth Champion, Sally Higgins. Sally is a farmer from rural Australia. She has seen what climate change has already done to our farm land – and knows what is at stake for future generations.

Sally has been working hard already, engaging in recent weeks with young people and Parties to understand their perspectives. Friends, the ocean sustains and connects us to the world. The ocean captures 30% of carbon and 90% of human-made excess heat.

Australia, Türkiye and the Pacific see an important opportunity to elevate ocean-based climate action. Most Parties include ocean initiatives in their Nationally Determined Contributions. We want ocean-based climate action to be practical, investable and scalable.

We encourage parties to participate actively and fully in the Ocean Dialogue. And to consider how we enable stronger consideration of oceans in future Global Stocktakes, NDCs and NAPs. Dear friends, A priority for COP31 has emerged with clarity.

To electrify the global economy, backed by modern grids and energy storage. Whether it be electrifying industry in a great industrial powerhouse like Germany. Or assisting African communities with the journey to clean cooking.

Or improving the energy security of Pacific nations by replacing diesel with solar energy. Renewable energy is now the cheapest form of power available to us. In Australia, we have so much solar energy that we will soon be offering households three hours of free power in the middle of the day.

Renewables improve energy access, support new green industries, improve health outcomes and support economic development. The IEA tells us electricity needs to make up around 35% of final energy use by 2035 to keep 1.5°C within reach, so we must improve our current course set for 26% by 2035. Friends, in a world of geopolitical uncertainty and energy disruption, the transition is not a risk.

It is the solution and an immense opportunity. Since the Paris Agreement, the renewables share of global energy has more than tripled. There has been a 20-fold leap in global battery installations in the past 5 years.

In Australia, 430,000 households have installed a household battery in the last 12 months. $2.3 trillion of investment is flowing into clean energy – two thirds of all investment in energy worldwide. Because that’s where the growth and certainty are.

But we can do even more. Dear friends, We all need to meet the moment to achieve real action. We can enhance decarbonisation.

Grow clean industries and jobs. And cement resilient energy systems, by diversifying energy sources. What we achieve here in Bonn will directly shape outcomes at COP31.

Our collective action, grounded in multilateralism – spurring investment and practical outcomes – remains our strongest tool to address the global challenge of climate change, and harness the opportunities of the energy transition. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.

We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.