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Bowen toughens stance on fossil fuels but COP28 conundrum remains

Australia signals it wants to end fossil fuel use but must tread a delicate balance in the final COP28 negotiations.

Kate Burgess
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The Japanese and Korean governments are big funders of Australian oil and gas projects. AP/Gerald Herbert.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen is laying the groundwork to support a toughened stance on fossil fuels as the COP28 climate talks come to a head.

Referencing the extreme heat in his home electorate in Western Sydney in a speech to the Dubai conference on Saturday, Bowen said he wanted to see “a big step forward on the phasing out of fossil fuels…everyone sensible accepts they're leaving the grid and need to be replaced to ensure energy reliability”.

While Australia announced it would end public financing of fossil fuels with its commitment to the Clean Energy Transition Partnership, project developers will still be able to get funding from private sources as well as non-signatory nations such as Japan and Korea.

Funded by the EU, the CETP brings together governments and private sector capital to invest in clean energy technologies through annual “joint calls” where parties submit project proposals.