The increasing presence of lobbyists for coal, oil and gas at the global climate talks is raising concerns about the United Nations’ ability to adequately design policies aimed at phasing out fossil fuels.
The number of fossil fuel lobbyists at the United Nations annual climate summit has significantly increased over the past four years. In 2022, roughly 600 fossil fuel lobbyists attended the climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. One year later, at COP28 in 2023, that number quadrupled to more than 2,400 lobbyists. This year, there are more than 1,700 lobbyists registered for the ongoing summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
After decades of debate, negotiators at COP28 in Dubai in 2023 approved a resolution calling for a transition away from fossil fuels. However, many observers are concerned that the large presence of lobbyists from the industry most responsible for climate change may undermine global efforts to effectively move toward cleaner energy and jeopardize the goal of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit).
“Fossil fuel corporations and their representatives shouldn’t have a seat at the negotiating table where climate policy is being made,” says Kathy Mulvey of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a nonprofit science advocacy organization.
UCS argues that allowing fossil fuel companies at climate talks is akin to “setting the cat loose among the pigeons.”
“As climate impacts become more severe, the world can’t afford to waste any more time [to reach the goal of] phasing out fossil fuels and funding a fast, equitable transition to clean energy,” Mulvey adds.
There are more fossil fuel lobbyists at COP29 than all the delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations combined (1,033). The industry’s presence dwarfs that of the most vulnerable communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, according to an analysis from the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition.
“The fact that there were far more fossil fuel lobbyists than official representatives from scientific institutions, Indigenous communities and vulnerable nations reflects a systemic imbalance in COP representation,” states an open letter signed by Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, and more than 20 other top climate policy experts.
“The fossil fuel industry has long manipulated climate negotiations to protect its interests while our planet suffers,” says Dawda Cham, a climate change activist with HELP-Gambia, a grassroots organization based in Gambia in West Africa.
“It’s time to sever these ties and ensure that the voices of the Global South are amplified, not silenced. We must kick big polluters out of our climate conversations and make them pay!” Cham argues.
Banner image: by Devon Chandler via Pixabay (Public domain).
Credits
