MANILA, Philippines – At least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, an “unprecedented” number, according to a recent analysis.

“In a year when global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions shattered records, there has been an explosion of fossil fuel lobbyists heading to UN talks, with nearly four times more than were granted access last year,” Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO), a coalition of advocacy groups, said in a release on Tuesday, December 5.

KBPO said the fossil fuel industry’s presence underscores “how industry presence is dwarfing that of those on the frontlines of the crisis.”

In comparison, more than 600 fossil fuel lobbyists registered at last year’s climate talks held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

According to the coalition’s analysis, this number is significantly greater than almost every country delegation, outnumbered only by Brazil’s 3081-strong delegation and host country UAE’s 4409-strong delegation.

Joseph Sikulu, pacific managing director of 350.org, said in the statement that the “poisoning of the process” has to end.

“Their increasing presence at COP undermines the integrity of the process as a whole,” said Sikulu. “We come here to fight for our survival and what chance do we have if our voices are suffocated by the influence of big polluters?”

KBPO added the reported figure is most likely conservative as they only counted lobbyists who openly disclosed their links to the industry.

The analysis also found that lobbyists were given more passes to COP28 than delegates from the 10 most climate vulnerable countries combined.

Many climate advocates around the world had pointed out the irony of a leading oil producer hosting this year’s COP, especially as the call to phase out – and not just phase down – fossil fuels becomes more and more urgent.

Sultan Al-Jaber, the president of COP28 and head of the Emirati state oil company, was recently under fire for saying in an online event last November 21 that demands to phase out fossil fuels has “no science” to back them.

Al-Jaber had since said his statement was misinterpreted and clarified that he understood and respected the science of climate change.

COP28 runs from November 30 to December 12. This year’s COP will focus on the Global Stocktake, a process for countries and stakeholders to collectively evaluate the progress toward achieving the target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Must Read

Climate finance in the spotlight at COP28 talks

– Rappler.com