Australian minister takes electric rickshaw ride during Delhi visit

New Delhi: Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen took a ride in an electric rickshaw during his official visit to the national capital and briefly tried his hand at driving it.

Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green shared a video of the episode on X. The footage showed Bowen travelling in the e-rickshaw before moving to the driver’s seat.

“Between meetings in New Delhi, Minister Chris Bowen hopped into an electric rickshaw, getting a closer look at the innovation driving the clean energy transition,” Green wrote. He added that the ride soon turned into an opportunity for Bowen to drive the vehicle himself.

Bowen is visiting India as part of efforts to strengthen Australia’s fuel security and coordinate with international partners on global energy security.

During the visit, he met Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav to discuss preparations for the upcoming Pre-COP ministerial meeting in Fiji and the COP31 climate conference in Turkey.

Yadav said the discussions covered key priorities for both meetings. He also highlighted India’s climate initiatives over the past decade and reiterated the country’s willingness to support Australia as it leads the COP31 negotiations.

Bowen described India as a crucial participant in shaping global climate and energy policies. He said the country’s rapid expansion of clean energy showed that reducing emissions could go hand in hand with economic growth.

Speaking at the Pre-COP Dialogue titled Partners in Green Transition: Advancing Ambition, Action and Partnerships for COP31 in New Delhi, Bowen said India’s experience would be important as countries sought to implement their climate commitments more quickly.

The event was organised by the Chintan Research Foundation in collaboration with the Australian High Commission. It brought together policymakers, diplomats, researchers and climate experts to discuss the agenda for COP31, scheduled to be held in Turkey in November 2026.

“India is showing the world that clean energy is not a brake on prosperity, but a pathway to it,” Bowen said in his keynote address.

He said COP31 would focus on inclusivity and transparency, with electrification and investment certainty among the key priorities. He also underlined the need to give greater representation to Pacific Island nations, including through the Pre-COP meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu.