This year’s COP is witnessing the highest number of fossil fuel lobbyists in the climate summit’s history.
Over two thousand four hundred lobbyists from the oil and gas industry are present at the crucial climate talks, in a move that has been called “unprecedented.”
A report from the coalition Kick Big Polluters Out highlights that this figure is up from 636 last year. The data also reveals that the lobbyists from some of the world’s biggest polluters outnumber indigenous representatives by a staggering seven to one.
Environmental groups have been advocating for COP attendees to disclose their affiliations for years, but this is the first time it is a requirement.
This revelation on the size of the fossil fuel lobbyist congregation came to light on day six of the climate conference, where the thematic focus was, in part, dedicated to indigenous peoples.
Indigenous peoples make up just five per cent of the population but protect around 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity; they are also on the front line of the climate crisis.
Yet, the sheer scale of fossil fuel representation at COP28 means that there are more lobbyists from oil, gas and coal than almost every country delegation. The only exception to this is the delegation brought by Brazil (3081 people) and the UAE (4409 people).
What does this mean? It’s not good.
While the COP28 presidency said that COP28 had chosen to “proactively engage” with oil and gas companies, this is a huge chunk of delegates who are using their sway to influence the decision-making process.
And this year’s COP is perhaps the most important yet, with the world at a tipping point.
While a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists descend on Dubai, a staggering amount of climate-related records are also being broken.
This year is the hottest on record and countries around the world have been subjected to a record number of heatwaves, floods and wildfires. And this is just the beginning.
Yesterday, at a protest on the ground at COP28, activists condemned the continued financing of fossil fuels and described the devastation it is having on local communities.
One activist from South Africa spoke of the impact that fossil fuel companies are having on the region. “They [indigenous people] are living from the ocean; their livelihoods are from the ocean; they know nothing else but living from the ocean. But we have these multinational industries who want to come and loot our oceans for oil and gas.” This, he said, impacts not only the waters, local economy and culture but also food security.
“This is an attack on the food security of local indigenous people,” he said.
Alongside this, the exploitation of land and sea by fossil fuel giants is also harming the health of indigenous communities.
As these figures on oil and gas representatives emerged, so too did news on the second draft of the global stocktake.
The current draft, published yesterday morning, currently includes 24 pages, and in the text, while mention of a phase-out is included, there is also an option that doesn’t mention a phase-out at all.
The phase-out/phase-down of fossil fuels is one of the most contentious debates at the climate summit, and it’s likely that the draft text will look very different by the time COP28 wraps up next week.
However, the science is clear, phase out fossil fuels, or watch the world burn.
This COP has the ability to take action that could safeguard the lives of billions and protect the planet from even more destruction – only time will tell whether world leaders make the right decision.