00:01He started by issuing a stark warning over the impacts of climate change that are already
00:08being felt around the world, referencing the devastating glacial collapse that took place
00:14in Nepal earlier this year, as well as the deadly heatwaves that have been seen across
00:19Europe. He then went on to drive a push towards reducing dependency on fossil fuels through
00:26electrification. And this is part of a central aim of these COP31 talks, that being a pledge
00:34to see 35% of the world powered by electricity by 2035. And that's something that's really
00:41gaining momentum off the back of the global oil crisis triggered by the conflict in Iran.
00:47We've seen a huge uptake of electric vehicles in particular here in Australia. Now, Chris
00:54Bowen, who's leading these COP31 talks over the next fortnight, actually received some
01:01support in his push to ramp up electrification from Australia's very own Queen Mary of Denmark,
01:07who also issued a speech expressing her support towards climate action, saying that there's
01:15a real opportunity to replace fossil fuels with the clean electricity that's needed across the
01:21industry, transporting and heating sectors in particular. Now, despite this support towards
01:28the Albanese government, it's also facing fresh scrutiny and questions over its own role or Australia's
01:36own role as a major fossil fuel producer. Many critics are saying that, on one hand, the Albanese
01:43government is pushing for global climate action. But on the other, it remains one of the world's largest
01:48exporters of fossil fuels. And there are growing calls for Australia to put a stop to the expansion
01:54of coal and gas projects going forward. Now, Chris Bowen opened, helped open the event last night.
02:02Let's take a listen to his opening remarks.
02:04Climate change is here. It is not a forecast. It is not a prediction. It is the lived reality for
02:13billions
02:13of people. Its impacts are growing more frequent and intense. Every fraction of a degree, every delay
02:20increases risk to lives, communities, economic growth and the environment.
02:25Romy, it's also been the first time at COP talks that there's been acknowledgement that the target
02:30of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius won't be met. How much is the world expected to exceed that?
02:37Yeah, that's right, Gemma. And really, the extent of global warming is highly dependent on whether there's
02:44drastic action to reduce the amount of fossil fuels that are burnt around the world or whether
02:50the world continues along its current trajectory. The United Nations has warned that the world is on
02:57track to overshoot that target of 1.5 degrees by the end of the decade. At the current rate and
03:04under
03:04the current policies, that could blow out to two degrees by 2050 and as far as 2.6 degrees by
03:12the end of
03:13this century. Now, the reason that that target of 1.5 degrees was set at COP 21 more than 10
03:21years ago
03:22now as part of the Paris Agreement was because climate scientists have warned that any heating beyond
03:28that dramatically increases the climate devastation that could take place. So there'll be a real focus
03:35at COP 31 this year and as part of these talks to build agreement around the climate action that's
03:41needed to really limit global warming to as close to 1.5 degrees as possible. And of course,
03:48this is all playing out during a year where extreme weather has had devastating impacts around the
03:54world from fires and heat waves in Europe to bushfires and drought across parts of Southeast Asia and
04:01the Pacific as well. The World Meteorological Organization today issuing a fresh warning that 2026
04:09is on track to become one of the hottest years on record, fuelled by climate change and a severe
04:15El Nino. So these talks taking place at a crucial time.
04:19It's nationalaloids. So we'll be focused on what we've been hit, being the CEO of the last week.
04:19Call us an expansive méawan. It feels so nice for you to have a quiet time.
04:19That's a great success as we're viewing Gunders.
04:20I will also be watching
04:20Public Change Center today in 우리는
04:20The mention of
04:20the American United Kingdom is
04:21a national holiday in Europe
