Today, on my way into Dubai’s Expo Center, the day when the action starts to happen, the parties begin to convene and the massive machine of the UN is fully in place, I had a mini-”aha” moment as I sought to reconcile my impressions as a first time COP attendee: awesome and heartbreaking. The metaphor that struck me was quite simply a visceral image of being in a space where all of the systems we say we would like to change are eerily mirrored back at all of us.
Entering the Blue Zone–the space where the parties are supposed to meet, negotiate and come to a consensus on the future of our planet is a mirror of a world order that continues to perpetuate the problems of iniquity we face, and why it is so very difficult to come to a clear path forward. While the Blue Zone is the place where it all happens, the reality is that so many of the negotiations and decisions are conducted behind closed doors, and observers from civil society are left speaking to a choir of like minds. Wealthy nations are shielded from the rest of us as they are escorted from one place to another for photo ops and what are essentially superficial, nano-second, carefully orchestrated moments that reflect the facade that is created that we are all in this together working towards just, equitable solutions.
And yet, each day, I leave with a sense that the process is an accomplishment in and of itself.
In my climate story, I related that I am choosing to lean into us. Part of doing that is accepting the fits and starts, the steps forward and the steps back that are part of building consensus; part of doing that means feeling anger and still showing up knowing that there will be important outcomes that will eventually lead us toward a clear and just transition away from fossil fuels. Another part of leaning in and living in the possibility that we can actually fund and implement very large, critical changes is making myself vulnerable: approaching people with whom I would rather not, showing up and being present because as an observer I will represent to these leaders that the world that is watching with high expectations.
As Day 2 ends and folds into Day 3, the relationships that I have started with Indigenous leaders who enjoy conversations and engagement with observers, people with NGOs that are doing the same thing that I am doing, and the tens of thousands who pour in from all over the world are a force to be reckoned with. We will not go away and we will not silence ourselves; rather, our growing rapport and understanding of how we are so similar is building strength as we continue to hold world leadership accountable by our visibility and voice.
Denise is the Senior Director of Development and Marketing at Climate Generation. Denise leads fundraising and marketing efforts, supporting Climate Generation’s team in growing resources to amplify our mission and vision. Denise has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of St. Catherine, and has worked in fundraising and development for 17 years. She has served as the founding chair of the Saint Paul Almanac, as director for the Lex/Ham Community Council, and on the Central Corridor Community Advisory Committee. Denise’s passion is fueling transformative work through collaborative processes, and has worked in early childhood development, employment and health and human services. While new to working directly on environmental issues, Denise has seen the first hand effect of environmental disparity in communities where she has lived and believes that radical, lasting change in who we are as a people will come from uniting around practical and expedient action to restore and nourish the environment.
Denise is a Climate Generation Window Into COP delegate for COP28. To learn more, we encourage you to meet the full delegation and subscribe to the Window Into COP digest.
The post City of Mirrors appeared first on Climate Generation.
Climate Change
Nearly 100 civil society groups from Türkiye and Australia urge COP31 Presidency to take bold steps to transition away from fossil fuels
Bonn, Germany, Friday 12 June 2026 — A diverse coalition of almost 100 civil society organisations representing Türkiye and Australia have released a joint statement at the Bonn climate conference urging the COP31 Presidency put the transition away from fossil fuels at the centre of the COP31 agenda.
The statement, signed by 94 organisations and addressed to Minister Murat Kurum (Türkiye) and Minister Chris Bowen (Australia), both attending the Bonn Climate Change Conference this week, emphasises that close cooperation between Türkiye and Australia brings a historic opportunity to make international progress in the transition away from fossil fuels, while walking the talk domestically and paving the way to a clean future within their respective borders.
By combining the diplomatic reach of both host nations with the long-standing climate leadership of the Pacific, COP31 should champion the action required to limit warming to 1.5°C.
The statement calls on the COP31 Presidency to:
- Commit to own and advance the just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.
- Turn the Just Transition Mechanism – agreed upon at COP30 to enhance international cooperation as well as support and enable equitable and inclusive just transitions – into concrete actions through defined funding, clear timelines, and practical operational details that protect workers and vulnerable communities.
- Enable meaningful progress in international climate finance to advance all pillars of climate action on mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage, ensuring that “big polluters pay”.
- Rebuild trust in the multilateral process by having a Presidency team that acts as an ‘honest broker.’ This includes protecting the integrity of negotiations from fossil fuel industry influence, which has had a worrying record presence in the last few COPs, and ensuring the full participation of civil society, Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, local communities, and upholding human rights.
The letter also urges Türkiye and Australia to inspire strong global outcomes in negotiations in Antalya in November, by leading by example, developing national roadmaps to transition away from fossil fuels and taking bold decisions domestically.
Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “The Pacific is at the forefront of global efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. From the beginning, we have worked to advance multilateral cooperation and strengthen the global climate regime — writing the 1.5°C redline into the Paris Agreement, establishing funding for loss and damage, and taking the world’s biggest problem to the world’s highest court. To the COP31 partnership, we bring the experience of 30 years of frontline leadership, the values of reciprocity and collective responsibility, and the warm hearts and unending resolve of our communities. We will continue to be the voice of science, justice and ambition. For us, phasing out fossil fuels and holding the line on 1.5°C is about survival. Together, we can ensure a safer, thriving future for the peoples of the Pacific and for communities worldwide.”
Tanyeli Behiç Sabuncu, WWF-Türkiye Climate and Energy Practice Manager, said: “As the President of COP31, Türkiye should not postpone leaving coal. One-third of the electricity mix in the country comes from it and new coal-fired power plant units are still being planned, despite losing both its economic and social licence. Phasing out fossil fuels is not merely an emission reduction goal. It is also a pathway toward a liveable world for people and nature as well as energy security for consumers and businesses. COP31 presents Türkiye a defining choice: stick to the choices of the past or lead a transformative shift toward a just and clean energy future. Announcing a coal phase-out date would send the clearest initial signal that the country takes its leadership role at COP seriously.
Denise Cauchi, CEO Climate Action Network Australia, said: “The fossil fuel era is ending. The escalating energy crisis is exposing the true costs of fossil fuel dependence—not only through worsening climate impacts, but also through global insecurity, energy price shocks and rising living costs. As the incoming President and President of Negotiations, Türkiye and Australia must put the 1.5°C temperature goal at the heart of COP31, which requires a managed, equitable transition away from coal, oil and gas, backed by finance and supported by a just transition. Australia must lead with credibility. As the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter, it needs a clear plan to phase out fossil fuels, including exports, and contribute its fair share of international climate finance.”
ENDS
Photos from the press conference will be added here after the event. The press conference will be live streamed and archived here
Media contact:
Kate O’Callaghan, Greenpeace on +61 406 231 892 (Whatsapp/Signal) or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org
Climate Change
‘A new chapter’: Inaugural National EPA CEO John Bradley faces significant choices on the horizon
SYDNEY, Friday 12 June 2026 — In response to the appointment of the inaugural CEO of Australia’s first National Environmental Protection Agency (National EPA), the following can be attributed to Glenn Walker, Head of Nature at Greenpeace Australia Pacific:
“Greenpeace welcomes the appointment of the inaugural CEO of Australia’s first National EPA as the beginning of a new chapter in the conservation of our world-famous nature.
“Now is a time of environmental crossroads — the inaugural National EPA under new CEO John Bradley’s leadership has a duty to provide robust environmental protection advice to the Albanese Government, and can start by protecting Scott Reef and the World Heritage Great Barrier Reef.
“Mr Bradley has the important task ahead of leading the National EPA’s recommendation on Australia’s largest proposed fossil fuel project, Woodside’s toxic Browse project in Western Australia. Browse threatens Australia’s largest freestanding reef, Scott Reef, and our climate, and must be rejected by any agency concerned with protecting the environment.
“Mr Bradley must also use his new position to crack down on rampant deforestation, which is threatening the Great Barrier Reef and sending our native animals, like the koala, to the brink of extinction in Queensland and New South Wales. As a former head of Queensland’s state environment department, Mr Bradley understands the threat of deforestation, and has a unique opportunity to finally protect the Reef from that threat.”
—ENDS—
Images and videos of deforestation can be found here, and of Scott Reef here.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Emma Sangalli on 0431 513 465 or emma.sangalli@greenpeace.org
‘A new chapter’: Inaugural National EPA CEO John Bradley faces significant choices on the horizon
China’s power-sector emissions fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade, but a rebound in coal-fired generation raises doubts about whether the decline will last.
China’s coal power output rose in early 2026, fueling concerns that last year’s drop in power-sector emissions may be temporary despite record growth in renewable energy.
Despite Record Renewable Growth, China Is Still Betting on Coal
Nearly 100 civil society groups from Türkiye and Australia urge COP31 Presidency to take bold steps to transition away from fossil fuels
‘A new chapter’: Inaugural National EPA CEO John Bradley faces significant choices on the horizon
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