Albanese's COP31 speech does not mention fossil fuels

Anthony Albanese held his only press conference at COP31 in Antalya on Thursday, standing alongside seven Pacific leaders. He said he was privileged to stand with them, and proud of Australia helping Pacific nations access funding to deal with the climate crisis, according to The Guardian.

Albanese flew into the summit on Wednesday morning and left on Friday afternoon. His visit lasted two and a half days and included speaking at high-level meetings. More than 90,000 delegates visited COP31. Climate change minister Chris Bowen served as president of negotiations.

During his address to the summit, Albanese read a message from 13-year-old Tuvalu student Melelusi Sokotia about growing up safely on the island. His speech did not mention fossil fuels. Albanese defended that omission, saying critics could "pick out any number of things that weren't in what was a short speech."

The omission matters to critics because of Australia's place in the global coal and gas trade. Australia is the second-largest exporter of thermal coal and the largest exporter of coal for steelmaking. It is responsible for a fifth of seaborne liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to The Guardian.

A report released at COP31 by Germanwatch and the New Climate Institute ranked Australia as a "very low" performer on policies and efforts to mitigate climate change.