Fossil Fuel Lobby Dominates COP29: A Call for Reform
At the ongoing Climate Summit COP29, a staggering 1,773 delegates represent the fossil fuel industry—including oil, coal, and gas, according to estimates from the NGO Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO). This number, while lower than last year's record of 2,400 in Dubai, still surpasses nearly all national delegations present at the summit.
KBPO based its analysis on the provisional UN accreditation list for this year's COP. The disproportionate presence of fossil fuel representatives raises concerns about the integrity of the decision-making process, as expressed by Akibonde Oluwafemi from the African Coalition for Polluters to Pay. "Each year, the fossil fuel lobby infiltrates the COP, intertwining their influence with the negotiations and obstructing real climate action."
Most of these delegates participate under the guise of international trade organizations, with notable representatives from energy giants such as Total Energies, Chevron, Exxon, Shell, and Eni. Japan's delegation includes the coal giant Sumitomo, while Canada has representation from oil producers Suncor and Tourmaline, according to KBPO's count.
Since the inception of climate summits in the late 20th century, over 11,000 delegates from oil and coal companies have taken part in discussions on climate policy. Despite the long-standing understanding that greenhouse gas emissions are primarily a result of fossil fuels, it wasn't until the final decisions of COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 that fossil fuels were mentioned critically. Last year marked the first consensus among countries to transition away from these fuels.
In light of these trends, a coalition of climate policy experts, including former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and erstwhile head of the UN Climate Change Convention Christiana Figueres, has urged that future COPs should not be hosted by nations that lack genuine commitment to phasing out fossil fuels. They advocate for "clear criteria to exclude states that do not endorse the transition away from fossil fuels."
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev's keynote speech at COP29 raised eyebrows, as he described oil, coal, and gas as "natural resources like any other," adding that their extraction should not be demonized amidst global climate efforts. Aliyev emphasized that these resources are essential for a market that requires them.
In an open letter, the group of climate experts called for an urgently needed reform of the summit framework. They highlighted that the current negotiation format fails to effect the necessary transformations at a sufficient speed and scale. They proposed a shift from negotiation-focused discussions to an implementation-centered format that prioritizes making concrete commitments to ensure a transition away from fossil fuels.
As COP29 progresses, the overwhelming presence of fossil fuel delegates prompts critical questions regarding the direction of global climate policy and the sincerity of nations' commitments to combat climate change. With activists and experts calling for reform, it remains to be seen whether the ongoing summit can rise to the challenges posed by entrenched fossil fuel interests and deliver on its promises for a sustainable future.
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