The Influence of Big Oil and Gas at UN Climate Talks
Introduction
As fires, floods, and extreme climate damage keep accumulating, the big question is how do we justly exit the era of fossil fuels?
The Presence of Oil and Gas Lobbyists at UN Climate Talks
As the preparatory UN climate talks continue in Bonn this week, new research from Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and Corporate Accountability reveals that the Big 5 oil and gas majors have brought more than 400 lobbyists to the UN climate talks since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.
While COP28 in UAE later this year needs to once and for all announce the fair phase out of all fossil fuels, the continuous presence of oil and gas lobbyists at these summits is a clear and present danger to achieving this goal.
The Role of the Big 5 Oil and Gas Majors in Delaying Climate Action
For decades Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and Chevron — aka the Big 5 Oil & Gas Majors — have delayed, weakened, and sabotaged climate action.
Despite their pro-climate greenwashing, each intends to expand its fossil fuels production to boost the already bulging balance sheets.
By 2025 their combined plans would increase emissions by 6,674m tonnes of CO2, more than two and a half times the EU’s emissions in 2021 — not to mention decimate ecosystems and communities.
The Conflict of Interest of the Fossil Fuel Industry at UN Climate Talks
They are pitting their own profits directly against the Paris Agreement’s goal to keep temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Centigrade and protect the planet.
Last year, these five giants made record profits of almost $200 billion, with BP subsequently deciding to reduce its climate targets to focus on making money from increased gas production.
Weeding out this influence is essential if we are to remove the largest barrier to justly phasing out fossil fuels.
There’s a glaring conflict of interest.
So let’s stop asking the oil and gas industry how to end the fossil fuel addiction.
The Need for a Robust Conflict of Interest Framework
The fight to address polluters’ conflicts of interest has been a long one, but for any chance of COP28 announcing a fair phase-out of all fossil fuels, we need to remove the largest obstacle to progress: the influence of the fossil fuels industry.
Mandatory public disclosure is a decent first step, but we need a robust conflict of interest framework if we want to kick big polluters out.
Conclusion
Real solutions for the climate crisis require bold action to curb fossil fuel industry obstruction in climate talks.
The fight to address polluters’ conflicts of interest has been a long one, but for any chance of COP28 announcing a fair phase-out of all fossil fuels, we need to remove the largest obstacle to progress: the influence of the fossil fuels industry.
