Once again, fossil fuel lobbyists come out in force at a global climate conference. More than 1,770 people defending the interests of coal, oil and gas companies obtained accreditation for COP29 in Baku, a coalition of NGOs Kick Big Polluters Out deplored on Friday, November 15. There were 2,500 at COP28 in 2023, a record, and 640 the year before. A heresy, for the associations, while this great mass must accelerate the fight against climate change, of which fossil fuels are the main cause.
This group of 450 organizations – including Global Witness, Greenpeace and Transparency International – examined the provisional list of 52,000 participants published by the UN, which brings together delegates, companies, researchers and NGOs from all countries.
Lobbyists outnumber national delegations, with the exception of three: Azerbaijan (2,229 members), Brazil, which will host the next COP (1,914), and Turkey (1,862). Their number also exceeds the total representatives of the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change (including Chad, Sudan and Mali).
A place within the national delegations
Defenders of fossil industries, working, for example, for ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron or BP, often have observer status; They gained access through trade associations, such as the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), a business coalition.
But lobbyists are also directly part of national delegations, giving them a place at the center of climate negotiations. Japan has included coal giant Sumitomo in its delegation; Canada added oil producers Suncor and Tourmaline; the United Kingdom sent 20 lobbyists; and Italy hired employees from energy giants ENI and Enel.
In France, six representatives of TotalEnergies are accredited, including its general director, Patrick Pouyanné. He is present as a “guest” of the host country, while other employees of the company come as part of the Business for the Environment association (chaired by Patrick Pouyanné himself), BusinessEurope, an association of European businessmen, and IETA.
“If these lobbyists enter the climate conversation, they will influence policy, cause distractions, and delay real solutions. They care little about the interests of the populations, denounces Ogunlade Olamide Martins, from the NGO Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, based in Nigeria. All they care about is profits, business expansion, and economic influence. »
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