Dubai, UAE: The number of fossil fuel lobbyists at this year’s UN climate talks has reportedly increased fourfold, which is at least 2,456.
Under the direction of the president of the national oil company of the United Arab Emirates, the UN summit this year is being influenced by the fossil fuel industry, as evidenced by the record-breaking figure calculated by the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition.
With nearly four times as many industry-affiliated lobbyists as there were registered for Cop27 in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, which was a record year in and of itself, the oil and gas influence in Dubai is incomparable.
More lobbyists are fighting for the interests of oil and gas companies like Shell, Total, and ExxonMobil than any other country delegation, except for Brazil (3,081), which is hosting Cop30 in 2025, and the host nation (4,409 attendees).
Additionally, there are seven official Indigenous representatives for every lobbyist supporting fossil fuels. This, according to activists, is evidence that the profits of the oil and gas industry are more important than a sustainable environment and frontline communities.
Ms. Caroline Muturi, a coordinator the campaign group Ibon Africa, stated that, “These findings tell us that the dynamics within these spaces remain fundamentally colonial. Cops have become an avenue for these corporations to greenwash their polluting businesses and foist dangerous distractions from real climate action.”
The findings are made amid yet another disastrous year for the climate, marked by supercharged extreme weather events that are affecting every part of the planet. The Amazon is facing a severe drought, unprecedented rainfall has fallen in Libya, and the number of heat-related deaths from Arizona to southern Europe has sharply increased.
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