WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Climate change minister Chris Bowen flew to New York in March 2026 for COP31 negotiations.
OUR VERDICT
False. The claim is based on a post from a parody account.
AAP FACTCHECK - Climate change minister Chris Bowen has not flown to the US for climate talks amid global fuel shortages, despite false claims online.
The claim is based on a post from a parody social media account.
It's being shared amid rising fuel prices triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran and Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The claim appears in a March 23 Facebook post that includes a screenshot of an X post purportedly by Mr Bowen, who is also the country's energy minister.
The March 21 X post includes an image of Mr Bowen on what appears to be a private jet and a caption that reads:
"REAL CLIMATE ACTION: I'm off to New York to close out UN COP31 negotiations with Turkey and the pacific [sic] nations. Together we will show real leadership on climate change."
The Facebook post caption added: "Apparently Bowen doesn't know how to use zoom".
However, the X post was from a self-described parody account, and Mr Bowen did not fly to New York in March 2026.
While the X account uses the same profile picture as the one used on Mr Bowen's verified social media accounts, the username @ChrisBowem misspells his surname.
The description of the fake X account reads: "Part time Energy Minister, COP31 President and federal member for McMahon. 4ft9 tall parody".
The account's X posts are all labelled as being from a parody account, but the "parody account" icon was cropped out in the version posted on Facebook.
Mr Bowen announced in January 2025 that he was quitting X, and his official account no longer exists.
Transcripts of Mr Bowen's media interviews show he was in Australia around the time of the alleged March 21 US trip, including speaking at a press conference in Brisbane on the morning of March 20 and appearing on ABC's Insiders program on the morning of March 22.
Many social media users appeared to believe the parody X post was real and expressed outrage over Mr Bowen's supposed overseas trip.
"If that's not rubbing our noses in it no fuel but your on a jet plain going to a fantasy land meeting [sic]," one user commented.
Another wrote: "WTF. Energy crisis here, our energy minister private jets overseas".
Australia did bid to co-host the UN's next annual climate change conference with Pacific Island countries, but in November 2025, the government announced COP31 would take place in Turkey, with Australia assuming a formal negotiating role.
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