New Delhi: Australia climate minister rides e-rickshaw

Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen rode an electric rickshaw between meetings in New Delhi and briefly sat in the driver’s seat in a video shared by Australian High Commissioner Philip Green.

Green said the ride offered a closer look at innovation in the clean-energy transition. Bowen is in India for official engagements focused on fuel security and cooperation with international partners on global energy security.

On Wednesday, Bowen met Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav. They discussed agenda items for the Pre-COP ministerial meeting in Fiji and COP31, scheduled for Turkey in November 2026.

Bowen also addressed a Pre-COP Dialogue organised by the Chintan Research Foundation and the Australian High Commission. He said India’s expansion of clean energy showed that cleaner energy sources could support economic prosperity, and described the country as an indispensable voice in global climate and energy policy.

He said COP31 would focus on an inclusive, transparent process, with electrification and investment certainty among its priorities.