The Australian government has funnelled taxpayer cash into flying almost 500 delegates to a global climate talk-fest in Brazil.
It has been revealed that 496 Australian representatives — including federal climate change minister Chris Bowen — are at the COP30 UN climate summit held this year in the Brazilian city of Belém.
Australia’s contingent is the eighth highest of all 194 countries represented at the annual climate catch-up.
It has more than double the number of delegates sent by the United Kingdom and is behind only China and France as the developed country with the most delegates.
Sydney radio presenter Ben Fordham today slammed the size of Australia’s delegation.
‘What, we have nearly 500 Australians at this UN climate summit, imagine the carbon footprint,’ 2GB morning host Ben Fordham said.
‘Now, not all of them are on the public payroll but a large share are, there are politicians and public servants and advisers and spin doctors and officials.
‘We pay for the flights, we pay for the hotels, we pay for the expenses, Japan has sent 461 delegates, as I said Australia, 494, but hang on, Japan has five times our population yet our delegation is bigger.’
Federal climate change minster Chris Bowen has flown in to COP30 at Brazil
Sydney Radio presenter Ben Fordham today slammed the size of Australia’s delegation
‘South Korea has sent 238, Malaysia 169, together they have around four times our population and yet our delegation still outnumbers both of them.
‘The UK has sent 210, half the number of delegates we’ve sent, here’s another example, India, a country that emits six times more carbon dioxide than Australia, has sent only 87 delegates, we have sent six times more.
‘The United States is missing in action, the US has sent zero delegates! They’re skipping COP30 entirely.’
Fordham also cited US President Donald Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who said the ‘climate summit is essentially a hoax’.
‘So that is why they have brushed Brazil,’ Fordham said.
‘While America stayed at home, almost 500 Australian delegates flew halfway across the world to talk about cutting emissions, can you believe it.
‘And they’ve burnt hundreds of tonnes of jet fuel in the process, by the way, why do we send such a massive delegation? Well, Chris Bowen has gone all-in at COP Brazil to advocate strongly for Australia’s bid to be the host next year.
‘Yes, we want to host this thing and it’s not going to come cheap, according to sources in Canberra, hosting COP here in Australia could cost us up to $2 billion.
Protesters have been present on the outskirts of the COP30 conference
‘That’s because the host country is expected to make a range of UN-friendly announcements in the lead-up.
‘Anthony Albanese has been asked about the $2billion estimate, he’s refused to be drawn on it, he’s said “people are just plucking numbers out of thin air” and that’s what they’re famous for, by the way, at these climate talks, plucking numbers out of thin air.
‘They’re wrong just as often as they’re right and here’s a fresh example of that, Chris Bowen says “we’ll be at 82 percent renewables by 2030” but the International Energy Agency has just predicted that by 2050, wind and solar will supply 12 to 16 percent of total global energy.
‘Fossil fuels will still supply 59 to 65 percent of global energy, so there’s a big gap between what’s said at these climate talk fests and what unfolds in the real world.
‘The level of spin is off the planet… so good luck to Chris Bowen and the 493 other Aussies who are touching down in Brazil for COP30 and while Mr Bowen is there, he is trying to twist people’s arms for Australia to host next year.’
It’s been reported, more than 56,000 delegates have signed up to attend COP30 in person which makes the summit as one of the largest in COP history.
The high-number comes despite negotiations being hampered by reports of a shortage of beds and ‘sky-high’ accommodation costs.
Host country Brazil has also offered free cabins on cruise ships moored in Belém to delegations from low-income nations who were otherwise unable to attend.
The conference, which has been the subject of major protests, will conclude on Friday.
