2025-07-03
Recognising that Türkiye’s bid for COP 31 remains active under the UNFCCC’s consensus rules, the Greens call on Labor to engage constructively with the Turkish government in a cooperative dialogue to secure a successful COP 31 in Adelaide.
Comments attributable to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens Senator for South Australia and Spokesperson for the Environment:
“Australia needs to talk turkey with Türkiye. It’s time for both the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to flex some diplomatic muscle if we are to secure the world’s premier climate conference right here in South Australia.
“A successful COP 31 in Adelaide will be a defining moment for climate justice in Australia and the world, but only if it is underpinned by genuine cooperation, ambition, and real-world outcomes.
“A stand-off over COP hosting rights won’t secure the conference and certainly won’t stop the climate crisis.
“To avoid further delays that threaten Adelaide’s logistical preparations, the Prime Minister must engage constructively with President Erdoğan to get past the deadlock.
“The opportunity to host COP 31 in Adelaide is more than a state-defining moment, it must be an act of genuine leadership as a hard deadline for stopping new polluting coal and gas projects and end the $12 billion per year in taxpayer funded subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.
“It is also an opportunity for Australia to listen to our Pacific neighbours’ calls for no new coal and gas projects, and support island nations to manage the devastating impacts of climate change.
“South Australia leads the charge in the transition to renewable energy, however, the transition is made harder and harder while the federal government continues to sign off on new mines and extend gas fields to 2070. This hypocrisy will undermine any bid for a genuine ‘Pacific COP’.
“Australia cannot lecture the world on climate action if it won’t stop fuelling the fire. If the Prime Minister secures COP 31, he must also secure real, measurable commitments both at home and in partnership with Pacific to meet the urgency the climate emergency demands.”