The magnitude of these figures is not only worrying because of the number itself, which multiplies by four that of previous years, but also because of its impact on the negotiations and the outcome of this year’s summit.
Right now, in the hallways of the Dubai climate summit (COP28) there are more representatives from the oil, gas and coal industry (the three fuels that have lit the fuse of the climate crisis and who continue to promote its advancement) that representatives of the ten countries most vulnerable to climate chaos. According to an analysis by the ‘Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO)’ platform, the Dubai event has the highest number of fossil fuel lobbyists ever recorded. More than 500 attended the Glasgow summit. More than 600 attended the Sharm el-Sheikh summit. Now, in the United Arab Emirates, there are at least 2,456.
The magnitude of these figures is not only worrying because of the number itself, which multiplies by four that of previous years, but also because its impact on negotiations and in the outcome of this year’s summit. Especially at a time when, as the parties involved highlight, an attempt is being made to forge a commitment to abandon fossil energy in the most accelerated way possible to stop emissions of greenhouse gases that are unleashing climate chaos.
“Do you really think that big oil companies like Shell, Chevtron and ExxonMovil are sending lobbyists just to passively observe these negotiations? poisonous presence of these large polluting wolves has stagnated us for years, preventing us from moving forward on the paths necessary to keep fossil fuels in the ground,” says Alexia Leclercq, co-founder of the ‘Start Empowerment’ platform.
Biggest summit in history
The Arab Emirates summit already stands out as the largest in history. More than 20,000 attendees were mobilized at the historic meeting in Paris (COP15). In Glasgow (COP26) the barrier of 30,000 was surpassed. And in Sharm el-Sheikh (COP27) there were around 40,000 registered. Now, according to the first reports from the United Arab Emirates, the Dubai summit has more than 100,000 registered. This is an unprecedented figure, even more so if we take into account that, according to several NGOs, there are many entities environmentalists that have been banned.