Three equally influential figures on the world stage (Images: AAP/Supplied)
Three equally influential figures on the world stage (Images: AAP/Supplied)

The following world leaders are among the 90 or so confirmed, or highly likely, to attend in Egypt this week the COP27 conference — where world leaders gather to discuss carbon emissions and how to tackle climate change:

  • President of the United States Joe Biden
  • President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen
  • Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak
  • President of France Emmanuel Macron
  • President of Senegal Macky Sall
  • Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte
  • President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
  • Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley
  • First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon
  • Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez
  • Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen
  • Incoming President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
  • Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni

Spotted any notable absentees? Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese has taken the same tack as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping: opting not to attend. He’s instead sending Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen in his place. Of course, in some ways the PM can’t win — he copped some fairly naff criticism in his early days in office for spending too much time overseas, and he’s also got ASEAN, Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation, and G20 meetings, all occurring overseas, to keep him busy. Still, the first COP since Labor took office would have been a good time to conclusively break with the embarrassment of the Morrison government’s approach to climate change on the world stage, and it’s odd Albanese chose not to take advantage of that.