COP31’s co-host has been found to have fossil fuel exports that dwarf the combined carbon footprint of the world’s 44 least developed countries over the last decade.
New Global Witness analysis found that in the 10 years since the landmark Paris Agreement, Australian coal, gas and oil exports produced 12.4 billion tonnes of emissions.
This equates to around a third of the entire European Union’s domestic emissions for the same period – despite Australian government pledges to reduce emissions to 62-70% below 2005 levels by 2035.
Simon Roach, Senior News Investigator at Global Witness, said: “As a COP co-host, those on the climate frontline expect Australia to lead by example – taking swift action to reduce fossil fuel reliance and carbon emissions. Instead, our analysis shows its government is continuing to greenlight fossil fuel projects which are directly fuelling the climate crisis.
COP is an incredibly important moment where progress requires the global community to come together. For many, it’s simply too important to fail. It’s hypocritical for higher income countries to celebrate transitioning away from fossil fuels, whilst also exporting gargantuan quantities of climate-wrecking gas, oil and coal.”
Global Witness say that the findings add to a growing body of evidence that COP climate conferences are frequently being hosted by nations with deeply entrenched fossil fuel interests, sparking concerns about their ability to lead efforts to reduce emissions.
Copyright © 2026 Energy Live News LtdELN