Albanese touts open trade as unity evades world leaders

Trade provides economic opportunity globally, Anthony Albanese said after attending the G20 summit. (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)

Australia is working to attract renewable energy investment with US progress in doubt over the incoming Trump presidency, as world leaders walk on eggshells.

Despite not being at the G20 economic summit in Brazil, Donald Trump's policies - including trade tariffs and walking away from climate action commitments - dominated the undercurrent of discussions.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says trade provides economic opportunity globally, especially in Australia where one in four jobs depends on trade.

"The outcomes achieved here are all about jobs and economic activity in Australia," he told reporters in Brazil on Wednesday (AEDT) after the summit.

Pacific nations have called for Australia to do more to transition away from fossil fuels as one of the world's largest exporters, and as Canberra works to co-host a major climate summit alongside regional partners.

Turkey - which is also bidding to host COP31 in 2026 - fired a pot-shot at Australia at the 2024 summit as its deputy environment minister highlighting her nation's smaller fossil fuel exports amid a standoff over hosting rights.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen acknowledged Australia's fossil fuel exports but also touted its large-scale transition to renewable energy.

Declaring the climate was at breaking point, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told G20 leaders his words should be taken "not as a briefing but as a deeply felt appeal".

Global climate-change policies were inadequate and put the world on a path towards more than 3C of warming, doubling the 1.5C needed to mitigate catastrophic disasters, he warned.

"Unfortunately, right now, emissions are still rising so we must speed up the just transition from fossil fuels to renewables," he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese adjusts his headphones
Pacific nations have called for Australia to do more to transition away from fossil fuels.

Mr Guterres called on world leaders to announce more ambitious emissions reduction targets for 2035 as US President Joe Biden sought to push leaders on commitments ahead of Mr Trump's ascendancy.

"President Biden rallied G20 leaders in Rio to raise their climate ambition and develop innovative solutions to support the clean energy transition," the White House said in a statement.

Signatories to a global climate agreement must announce more ambitious emissions reduction targets every five years.

Australia's 2030 target is a 43 per cent reduction but the Albanese government is tight-lipped on its 2035 plan.

It's the same agreement Mr Trump has threatened to pull out of when he returns to the Oval Office, sparking global concern about the environmental impact and loss of green energy investment if he scraps Biden-era subsidies and incentives.

Australia is positioning itself as a good place for renewable investment if the US scales back green energy incentives, given its abundance of wind and solar resources.

If the US Inflation Reduction Act was repealed by Mr Trump, "there will still be firms that are over there that might move to other locations where the jurisdiction is a lot more open to investment in that space", Industry Minister Ed Husic told AAP.

World leaders pose for a photo at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro
Anthony Albanese held a series of meetings with world leaders on the sidleines of the G20 summit.

The G20 leaders' statement called for taxes on the ultra-rich to create a fairer tax system, more aid and a ceasefire in Gaza.

It recognised the need to increase climate financing "from billions to trillions from all sources".

But it did not mention Russia as the aggressor in Ukraine, only highlighting human suffering and economic impacts from the war, and pledged no concrete environmental commitments to reach a consensus.

Omitting reference to Russia irked European officials, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying "it's too little when the G20 cannot find the words to make it clear Russia is responsible".

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store