Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, has delivered Australia’s National Statement to COP27.
He began in one of the languages of the people of the Torres Strait, saying, ‘In Ngay Mina Koey Ubilnga ya muliz Australia Pa,’ or, ‘I have the privilege of speaking to you on behalf of Australia’.
‘The people of the Torres have inhabited their lands for 70,000 years.
‘For them, for the Pacific family, for our farmers paying the price of climate change, for the Australians facing ever increasing risk of flood and bushfire. For everyone around the world facing natural disasters that are increasingly unnatural, Australia is acting.
‘And for them, the world must act,’ he said.
Minister Bowen outlined the range of actions taken by the Australian Government including increasing our emissions reduction target to 43% by 2030 in our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). He stated that Australia remains committed to last year’s determination to hold the world as close as possible to 1.5 degrees of warming.
He also confirmed that Australia, along with Pacific nations, are seeking to host COP31 in 2026.
Minister Bowen used the National Statement to call on multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, to commit to financing the needs of emerging markets as part of essential action to address climate change.
Watch Minister Bowen deliver the National Statement (use the navigation on the right hand side to start the video when Minister Bowen addresses COP27)
