Embrace clean energy says UN climate chief: or put Australia's living standards at risk

SBS Australia

28-07-2025

Simon Stiell is the top climate diplomat for the United Nations. His whistlestop tour of Australia comes at a crucial time, with Australia due to name a carbon emissions reduction target for 2025 in September. Speaking in Sydney, he says the issue is enormous not just for Australia's environment, but its economy, too. "Australia has a strong economy and among the highest living standards in the world. If you want to keep them, doubling down on clean energy is an economic no-brainer." There's nothing new about Mr Stiell's pitc h- he is urging governments around the world to set ambitious climate targets. But he says Australia is particularly vulnerable - saying climate change will be an economic wrecking ball if Australia doesn't act fast enough. He says, already, Australian homeowners are paying a cumulative four billion dollars per year for climate change-related disasters. And, into the future, he says climate change could cripple Australia's prodigious food production ability. He claims the country could lose 6.8 trillion dollars in Gross Domestic Product by 2050. The Climate Change Authority, headed by former New South Wales government minister Matt Kean, is preparing its advice to the federal government, which will inform that decision on precisely what the target will be. It's previously hinted at a reduction of 65 to 75 per cent on 2005 emissions levels. Mr Kean says Australia has no choice but to be a world leader in this area. "It needs to be ambitious to grab the economic opportunities that Simon so eloquently outlined. We need to make sure that we are leading the way, if we are to develop the industries that are going to underwrite our prosperity into the future." The decision for 2035 has already been delayed by months. Mr Kean says that's necessary to ensure the decision that is eventually made is the right one. "We've taken the time to do the deep, thorough analysis required. So when we stand up- when the government stands up- we can do so saying this number is in our national interest. So, I'm not going to apologise for taking the time and building the evidence required to get th decision right." Mr Kean says those on his former side of politics, like former National Party federal leader Barnaby Joyce, who want to scrap net-zero targets, are out of touch... pointing to the recent federal election result as evidence. But that's not the only climate change related fight going on at the moment. Australia and Turkiye are in dispute over who will host next year's United Nations climate change summit, known as COP31. Australia is seeking to hold the 2026 event in Adelaide to showcase its renewable energy transition. But Turkiye is refusing to drop out of the hosting race, saying, amongst other things, that its location in the Mediterranean would actually lower carbon emissions from people travelling to the event. Mr Stiell says the UN wants Australia and Turkiye to sort it out amongst themselves, warning that the dispute is harming planning for the event. "Our position is: please, work amongst your peers and resolve this quickly, so we can engage whomever is the successful candidate, so that we can all move the process forward." Mr Stiell will now move onto Canberra, where he will meet with federal Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen.