Australian politician, Minister for Climate Change and Energy (2022–present)
The government has announced 43 transmission projects that will qualify for a new bill-discount scheme. Households within 500 metres of qualifying overhead lines will receive up to £2,500 off electricity bills over 10 years, with payments starting early next year and funded by a small charge on all bills. Many projects are in Scotland to carry wind power.
National cabinet is moving to implement nationally consistent standards for datacentres to use 100% renewables with firming, while allowing exemptions if state-owned plants prove cheaper. Projects approved before the rules apply will stay under existing state laws. The move follows surging datacentre demand and aims to curb electricity costs while balancing local impacts.
Pacific nations and allies press for urgent action on climate finance, ocean health, and keeping 1.5°C within reach ahead of COP31 in Turkey. Pre-COP meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu highlight vulnerability to sea-level rise and demand concrete, community-level finance and adaptation.
Prime minister Andy Burnham has appointed Dame Madeleine Alessandri as a special representative on climate security and will announce the post at COP31 in Antalya today. The role will task Alessandri with advising the government on national security risks from the climate crisis; Burnham will also back a 35% electrification target for 2035 and mobilise private finance for clean energy.
COP31 in Antalya is accelerating a push for electrification to 35% of global energy demand by 2035, with debates over whether electrification alone lowers emissions and how AI and renewables factor in. A new El Niño is intensifying extreme weather, underscoring the urgency for action.
The COP31 climate summit is pressing toward a deal as negotiators face resistance from fossil-fuel interests. Turkey proposes electrification aims at expanding global energy use, while major producers and influential economies resist binding fossil-fuel limits. The talks are marked by a warning from Simon Stiell and a warning on the 1.5°C trajectory.