FutureCoal Welcomes COP30 and G20 Outcomes Reinforcing Australia’s Sovereign Energy Choices

FutureCoal has welcomed the outcomes from the G20 Leaders Summit and COP30, saying they are a timely signal for Australia as domestic pressures continue the push toward fossil-fuel exit strategies while the rest of the world takes up technological advances, achieving substantial emissions reductions from abated coal.

Both forums reinforced the focus on balanced, technology-neutral energy pathways towards 2050.

COP30 included no substantive reference to fossil fuels in its final text, while the G20 consensus, endorsed by Australia, reaffirmed carbon-neutrality by 2050 and acknowledged that trillions in climate finance will be required to support developing economies through a Just Energy Transition.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also confirmed in Johannesburg that there will be no change to Australia’s coal and gas policies, despite strong global pressure to narrow energy choices.

FutureCoal Chief Executive Michelle Manook said these outcomes align with her National Press Club of Australia Address, where she called for Australia to restore balance, technology neutrality, and engineering principles to its national energy conversation.

“As I said at the National Press Club last week, Australia was built on reliable, affordable energy,” Ms Manook said.

“The original intent of the Paris Agreement is clear: there is no single pathway and no mandated fossil-fuel phaseout. A credible transition must recognise technological diversity, national circumstances, and the need to uphold reliability and affordability. A transition that overlooks baseload supply and industrial stability is not a transition — it is a risk.”

Recent commentary surrounding South Korea’s COP30 announcement underscored the importance of precision in energy language. South Korea pledged to phase out unabated coal by 2040, yet it was widely reported as a phaseout of all coal.

“Clear terminology matters,” Ms Manook said. “When the distinction between abated and unabated technologies is lost, the public is not given an accurate picture of what countries have committed to. This creates confusion and obscures the progress and modernisation already underway across global energy systems.”

Both summits reaffirmed the role of zero and low-emission technologies, including abatement systems, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and advanced industrial applications. Ms Manook said these outcomes strongly align with FutureCoal’s Sustainable Coal Stewardship (SCS) framework, which outlines abated technologies capable of reducing emissions by up to 99%.

“We do not need a movement defined by refusal; we need one defined by improvement, innovation and balance,” she said. “COP30 and the G20 have reinforced that progress will come from what we build — not from what we shut down.”

FutureCoal Chairman and Seriti Resources Group CEO Mike Teke said the outcomes mark an important turning point for global energy cooperation.

“COP30 and the G20 have moved the conversation beyond ideology and into implementation,” Mr Teke said. “For developing and industrialising regions, including much of Africa, Asia and Latin America, the priority is not choosing between development and decarbonisation, but ensuring that investment frameworks allow us to achieve both.

“These outcomes signal a global readiness to support practical solutions, not prescriptive pathways.”