"More than 1,700 oil and gas lobbyists at COP29: Which European delegations invited them?", 15 November 2024

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If fossil fuel lobbyists were a country, they would be the fourth-largest delegation at the summit.

At least 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists have been allowed to attend the UN climate conference in Baku, a report released today has revealed.

The analysis from the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition found that fossil fuel lobbyists have received more passes to COP29 than all of the delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations combined.

It says industry presence is “dwarfing” that of those on the frontlines of the climate crisis who are suffering, in part, due to the actions of oil and gas companies.

The only delegations which outnumber them are host country Azerbaijan, COP30 hosts Brazil and Türkiye.

“The fossil fuel lobby’s grip on climate negotiations is like a venomous snake coiling around the very future of our planet,” says KBPO member Nnimmo Bassey from the Health of Mother Earth Foundation.

“We must expose their deceit and take decisive action to remove their influence and make them pay for their infractions towards our planet. It’s time to prioritise the voices of those who have been fighting for justice and sustainability, not the interests of polluters.”

How did fossil fuel lobbyists get into COP29?

KBPO’s analysis finds that a vast number of fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access to COP29 as part of trade associations. Eight of the top 10 trade groups with the most lobbyists came from countries in the Global North...

Other lobbyists came with national delegations. Italy brought employees of the energy companies Eni and Enel. Japan brought representatives from the coal company Sumitomo, and Canada representatives from Suncor and Tourmaline.

The UK alone brought 20 fossil fuel lobbyists despite attempts to position itself as a climate leader at this year’s talks.

The analysis also only counts fossil fuel lobbyists, not those from other industries deeply implicated in the climate crisis who may also be present such as finance, agribusiness or transportation...

Kathy Mulvey, accountability director for the Union of Concerned Scientists’s climate and energy programme, has watchdogged industry presence at UN talks related to health and climate for more than 20 years.

“The massive fossil fuel industry presence at COP29 illustrates what’s at stake: what oil and gas corporations think they have to lose and how they may be trying to cash in,” she says.

Mulvey claims that while they continue lobbying to delay the phaseout of fossil fuels, they are also trying to co-opt the clean energy transition by demanding subsidies from governments for tech that is unlikely to play a role in meeting 2030 climate targets. She adds that countries must resist any attempt by the fossil fuel industry to “swindle funding” that should be put toward climate finance needed by Global South nations....

Christiana Figueres Former UN climate chief

“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,” it reads.

“At the last COP, fossil fuel lobbyists outnumbered representatives of scientific institutions, Indigenous communities and vulnerable nations,” Figueres says.

“We cannot hope to achieve a just transition without significant reforms to the COP process that ensure fair representation of those most affected.”..."