‘Gobsmackingly illogical’: Twiggy lashes Trump on climate as Aussies hit New York

1 hour ago 1

Washington: Australian mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest sharply criticised US President Donald Trump’s “gobsmackingly illogical” energy policies and accused him of kowtowing to oil and gas donors, as he arrived in New York for a major United Nations summit.

Forrest and his Fortescue Metals Group support a net zero emissions regime for global shipping, which stands to be formally adopted next month by the International Maritime Organisation. It would introduce a carbon price and mandate the use of green fuels in an industry responsible for 3 per cent of global emissions.

Fortescue executive chairman Andrew Forrest – seen here with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – says US President Donald Trump is kowtowing to oil and gas donors.

But the Trump administration is vehemently opposed to the framework, describing it as a “global carbon tax on Americans”, and has threatened to hit countries that support it with tariffs, visa restrictions and port levies.

Fortescue’s green ammonia-powered ship, the Green Pioneer, pulled into New York on Friday ahead of the UN summit, which will be attended by Trump, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and scores of other political and business leaders.

Forrest has also taken out full-page advertisements in The New York Times this coming week, along with digital newsstands and bus shelters across New York, calling on the US government to change its tune.

“The Gulf states obviously aren’t in love with the policy … going to green shipping impacts their bottom line. But I’m really surprised to see the US line up on that side,” Forrest told this masthead in an interview.

Fortescue’s Green Pioneer arrived in New York on Friday. It will act as a billboard for “real zero” during Climate Week.

“[The Republicans] won an election on promoting oil and gas and saying global warming’s a hoax. There’s not a scientist in the world – and soon there won’t be many citizens in the world – who believe that.

“What they’re really saying is the oil and gas sector has paid the large majority of our election bills, and we’re going to stick with them.”

Trump came to power pledging to “drill baby, drill” to dramatically expand American oil and gas production.

An August statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transport Secretary Sean Duffy and Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the proposed shipping policy was pro-China and anti-American, and would push up costs for consumers and cruise passengers by fining ships that fail to meet “unattainable” fuel standards and emissions targets.

“These fuel standards would conveniently benefit China by requiring the use of expensive fuels unavailable at global scale,” they said.

Forrest said that position was “gobsmackingly illogical” and that he did not believe consumers would pay a price.

“My very clear message to the US administration is you shouldn’t care if your energy is black, white or brindle,” he said.

“To quarantine your people to just oil and gas, and geopoliticise it by saying, ‘Oh, you’re backing China instead of us’ – no. You, America, should be getting the lowest cost, highest volume energy you can into your economy.”

Shipping containers at the Port of Long Beach in California.

When the maritime net zero framework was initially voted on in April, the federal government was in caretaker mode and Australia abstained. Federal Transport Minister Catherine King on Saturday confirmed that Australia’s position had not been decided.

Forrest was emphatic: “We have more sun and wind than most countries in the entire world. We have very little oil. No bunker fuel oil. No diesel. So why the hell would we not vote for [it]?”

The Lowy Institute described the maritime net zero proposal as “historic” and “the first global carbon tax on a major polluting sector in support of global climate efforts”.

But amid the staunch US opposition, some major shipping companies are now calling for revisions to the draft framework passed in April. Reuters reported on Thursday that more than a dozen firms, including two of the world’s biggest oil tankers, had signed a joint statement outlining their “grave concerns”.

It followed reports that the US had stepped up its threats against the framework’s supporters. The State Department told Reuters that the US was “actively exploring and preparing to act on remedies including tariffs, visa restrictions, and/or port levies should this effort succeed in the October IMO extraordinary session vote”.

The department would engage with allies and partners to propose they take similar measures, it added.

Forrest will attend several Climate Week events that coincide with the UN General Assembly, including a high-level session on renewables alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Australian Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen and former South Australian premier Mike Rann, who now chairs the UK Climate Group.

He will also rub shoulders with French President Emmanuel Macron and American actress Sigourney Weaver at an event to mark the 60th ratification of the High Seas Treaty, which will become legally effective in January.

Meanwhile, Trump, Rubio and newly confirmed ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz – formerly Trump’s national security adviser – will use the week to outline their vision for the UN to get “back to basics”.

State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said that meant “reorienting the organisation to its origins as an effective tool for advancing peace, not a bloated bureaucracy that compromises national sovereignty and pushes destructive ideologies like DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion]”.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.