The increasing presence of lobbyists for coal, oil and gas at the global climate talks is raising concerns about the United Nations’ ability to adequately design policies aimed at phasing out fossil fuels. The number of fossil fuel lobbyists at the United Nations annual climate summit has significantly increased over the past four years. In 2022, roughly 600 fossil fuel lobbyists attended the climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. One year later, at COP28 in 2023, that number quadrupled to more than 2,400 lobbyists. This year, there are more than 1,700 lobbyists registered for the ongoing summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. After decades of debate, negotiators at COP28 in Dubai in 2023 approved a resolution calling for a transition away from fossil fuels. However, many observers are concerned that the large presence of lobbyists from the industry most responsible for climate change may undermine global efforts to effectively move toward cleaner energy and jeopardize the goal of keeping global temperature rise to 1.5° Celsius (2.7° Fahrenheit). “Fossil fuel corporations and their representatives shouldn’t have a seat at the negotiating table where climate policy is being made,” says Kathy Mulvey of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a nonprofit science advocacy organization. UCS argues that allowing fossil fuel companies at climate talks is akin to “setting the cat loose among the pigeons.” “As climate impacts become more severe, the world can’t afford to waste any more time [to reach the goal of] phasing out fossil fuels and funding a fast, equitable transition…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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