Fossil Fuel Industry’s Influence Over UN Climate Summit
At least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the Cop28 climate negotiations
An analysis by the KBPO coalition found that at least 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists attended COP29, outnumbering delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations combined. This highlights the continued strong influence of the fossil fuel industry at climate talks. The analysis also revealed that many lobbyists attended as part of trade associations or official country delegations, further emphasizing the need for stricter conflict of interest policies at COP. At least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the COP28 climate negotiations, according to an analysis.
The figure calculated by the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition is a record number that raises further questions about the fossil fuel industry’s influence over this year’s UN summit, which is being run by the president of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company.
The scale of oil and gas influence in Dubai is unprecedented, with almost four times as many industry-affiliated lobbyists than the number registered for COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh – which itself was a record year.
Lobbyists vying to push the interests of oil and gas companies such as Shell, Total and ExxonMobil outnumber every country delegation apart from Brazil (3,081), which is expected to run Cop30 in 2025, and the host country, which registered 4,409 attenders.
Fossil fuel lobbyists also outnumber official Indigenous representatives (316) by seven to one – another sign, say campaigners, that oil and gas industry profits are being prioritised over a sustainable planet and frontline communities.
Caroline Muturi, a coordinator at the campaign group Ibon Africa, said: “These findings tell us that the dynamics within these spaces remain fundamentally colonial. Cops have become an avenue for these corporations to greenwash their polluting businesses and foist dangerous distractions from real climate action.”
The revelations come during another catastrophic year for the climate, with supercharged extreme weather events striking every corner of the world, from unprecedented rainfall in Libya, severe drought threatening the Amazon, and a sharp increase in heat deaths from Arizona to southern Europe.
Scientists say such destructive storms, drought and heat would have been almost impossible without the warming caused by burning fossil fuels, which must be phased out to avoid total climate breakdown.
Momentum to secure a commitment to phase out fossil fuels at Cop28 has been growing, especially among the most vulnerable countries, but many of the biggest polluting countries are holding out.
The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy
