Chris Bowen's $32,000 coffee bill as he splashes an eye-watering amount of taxpayer cash at UN climate talk-fest in Turkey

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen will charge Australian taxpayers to the tune of $2.2million in hospitality expenses linked his department's involvement in the COP31 conference. The UN climate talks get underway in Antalya, Turkey on Monday with Bowen in the role of co-President along with the host nation's Environment Minister Murat Kurum. Bowen, who is responsible for steering negotiations, has issued a number of contracts through his government department to overseas businesses.

These include almost $1.3million for events management and $872,682 to accommodation group Coral Seyahat A.S, which manages luxury resorts, reported The Daily Telegraph . His department also awarded a $32,000 contract to a business called Espresso Akademi Gıda Danışmanlık Sanayi ve Ticaret. The business's job is reportedly only to supply coffees to the Australian Pavilion and Delegation Office. 'Chris Bowen should take his own Nescafe.

When will the penny drop that there is a cost-of-living crisis in Australia?' Opposition energy spokesperson Dan Tehan said. It's understood the money will be used for equipment and staff to provide free coffee to delegates who visit the Australia Pavilion as an 'engagement tool'. Chris Bowen is co-president of COP31 and Australia will host a pavilion at the summit that will provide coffees to visitors at a cost of $32,000 The UN climate summit runs from November 9 to 20 in Turkey Thousands of delegates will attend the event as the UN admits the global warming target set at previous meetings will be overshot The climate summit has drawn controversy in recent months.

The UN acknowledged in September the 2015 Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5C by the end of the decade, agreed to at a previous COP meeting, would not be met. Also the world's biggest polluter, the US, has pulled out of talks under the Trump administration and there has been criticism over the sheer scale of the event. As one former UN staffer put it: 'How many people were at the last COP; 70,000, 80,000 people? These 'climate narcissists' show up to do a LinkedIn post or an Instagram post.

Do they actually need to be there?' An American congressional delegation will travel to Turkey, despite the US not officially taking part. Representative Sean Casten of Illinois said the 19-member delegation would play an 'important diplomatic function' at COP31, which runs from November 9 to 20, after the landslide Democratic victory in the US midterms. 'We will not, of course, be in the majority at that point, but we will be received with the understanding of what just happened,' Casten told a press conference.

Join the discussion Should politicians spend millions on overseas events while Australians face a cost-of-living crisis? What's your view?