<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/in-brazil-climate-standoff-between-australia-and-turkiye-remains-as-divided-as-their-drinking-habits/>
"They were all there. Representatives from Indigenous peoples in northern
Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Torres Strait,
the ACTU, employer groups, investor and climate groups on the ground in Belem,
Brazil for COP30.
One by one they lined up to deliver the same basic message to the scrum of
mostly international media: Australia is ready, willing and able to host the
world at the next international climate conference.
Australia’s political leadership were notably absent. The press conference
itself had been called by Richie Merzian, CEO of Clean Energy Investor Group
and a former Australian government representative on climate change, to fill an
obvious vacuum that had developed around the bid, and prosecute Australia’s
case to host COP31 in Adelaide, Australia.
“The people behind me are gathered because they want to see a COP finally take
place in the Asia Pacific, finally take place on the only continent that hasn’t
hosted it, with the longest running culture and civilization, they want to see
a COP hosted Down Under,” Merzian said.
Behind them, in the main junction of the exhibition hall, the Australian and
Turkish pavilions stood side by side. The dynamic has been a source of
amusement for conference attendees.
Duelling queues snake out from the Australian and Turkish pavilions; one for
tea and Turkish delight, the other for coffee.
The Australian pavilion might be the only place in Belem to get a flat white
from an actual espresso machine, but the Turks had gone the extra mile of
shipping in a calligrapher to beautifully draw the names of conference goers in
Turkish script.
It was exemplary of the glitz Turkiye was bringing to lobbying, a tactic
Australia should have easily overcome. Both countries are major fossil fuel
exporters, but Turkiye itself is closely aligned with Russia on energy policy
and oil producer Azerbaijan, the host of last year’s COP, where the president
described methane gas as a “gift from god”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
