COP quiz: Which is the No 2 group at Summit? The fossil fuel lobby!

Belem, Brazil: If fossil fuels were a country, its delegation size at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) here would be second only to that of the host, Brazil. At this year's climate talks, one in 25 delegates is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to an analysis of the provisional list of delegates.

At a total of 1,602, the fossil fuel lobby has the largest share of delegates in attendance since 2021. Even though the number is far fewer when compared to Baku or Dubai, there is a 12% increase in their attendance over last year.

Fossil fuel lobbyists have received significantly more passes to COP30 than the combined strength of delegations of the 10 most climate-vulnerable countries (1,061)-a statistic that serves to highlight the way the fossil fuel industry is able to drown out the concerns of those countries that are most vulnerable to climate change that has been induced by fossil fuel burning. "This is no longer about climate negotiations, but a hostile takeover of our future," said Kumi Naidoo of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative.


The analysis by Kick Big Polluters Out, a coalition of 450 organisations, reveals that trade association delegations are the primary vehicle for fossil fuel influence. These delegations include oil and gas giants.

Behind-the-scenes access also remains a major channel for influence, with 599 lobbyists gaining access through "party overflow badges" which are usually reserved for experts, researchers, and support teams working with a country's official negotiating teams.

The analysis shows that several developed countries have included fossil fuel representatives in their official delegations.

"France brought 22 fossil fuel delegates, with five from TotalEnergies, including CEO Patrick Pouyanne; Japan's delegation contained 33 fossil fuel lobbyists, among them Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Osaka Gas; and Norway snuck 17 into the talks, including six senior executives from its national oil and gas giant, Equinor," according to the analysis. "A process meant to protect people and the planet cannot be shaped by the very industry driving the damage," said Lien Vandamme of the Center for International Environmental Law.

The number of fossil fuel representatives at UN climate talks has remained consistently high, with the industry present since the negotiations began. These findings reinforce the need to protect the UN's climate negotiations by establishing clear conflict of interest policies and accountability measures, with countries collectively representing over 70% of the world's population having requested these conflicts of interest be addressed.

According to Vandamme, urgent reforms are needed in the rules of climate negotiations to allow voting when consensus is weaponised, adopt enforceable conflict-of-interest rules, and create real compliance and enforcement so promises have consequences.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has cast this year's UN climate talks, COP30, as the 'COP of truth'. To live up to this moniker, civil society activists are calling on Brazil as the presidency of COP30 and the UNFCCC Secretariat to commit to reviewing and strengthening participant disclosure rules ahead of future summits. "It is time to ensure integrity and accountability to restore trust," said Brice Bohmer of Transparency International.