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Over 5,000 fossil fuel lobbyists were given access to U.N. climate summits over the past four years, a period marked by a rise in catastrophic extreme weather, inadequate climate action and record oil and gas expansion. “This is climate obstruction at work,” says Nina Lakhani, senior climate justice reporter for The Guardian US. She notes that lobbyists attend climate conferences to “promote false solutions like carbon markets, carbon capture and storage — these market-based solutions which are not going to save the planet.”
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AMY GOODMAN: In addition to Yeb Saño, speaking to us from the 30th U.N. climate summit in Belém, Brazil, we’re joined here in New York by the U.N. climate — by Nina Lakhani, a senior climate justice reporter for The Guardian US. Her latest piece, out today, “Climate disasters displaced 250 million people in past 10 years, UN report finds.” She’s also been reporting on the role of fossil fuel lobbyists at the climate summit.
Nina Lakhani, thanks so much for being back with us. We have spoken with you at climate summits in the past. But you have this explosive piece, “How thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists got access to UN climate talks — and then kept drilling.” You say more than 5,000 fossil fuel lobbyists were given access to U.N. climate summits over the past four years, a period marked by a rise in catastrophic extreme weather, inadequate climate action and record oil and gas expansion. Explain exactly what you found.
NINA LAKHANI: So, this is research that’s conducted by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition, which is a coalition of hundreds of organizations around the world. And what they found is, in the last four years, more than 5,350 lobbyists, representing fossil fuel companies, trade associations and other organizations representing oil, gas and coal, have been given access to the climate talks. This far outnumbers the negotiators and the delegations that are present from most countries, right?
And it also excludes all of the lobbyists sent to represent other big polluting industries or industries that benefit from fossil fuel extraction, like Big Agriculture, like mining, Big Tech, finance, and also excludes the fossil fuel lobbyists or the executives who are on official delegations.
So, why does this matter? So, these companies have long said, and the UNFCCC has agreed, that they need a seat at the table, that they’re part of the solution. They’re there with technology. They want to make a transition. This research shows that is just absolutely not true. Just 90 of the oil, gas and coal companies that sent lobbyists in the last four years are responsible for almost 60% of the oil and gas that was drilled last year, and responsible for almost two-thirds of the short-term oil and gas expansion projects that are about to start extracting and exploration.
And on that second figure, you know, if they all go ahead, they will drill the equivalent of enough oil to coat the landmass of seven European countries entirely, including France, Germany and Denmark. So, you know, these companies are sending lobbyists in order to block climate action. This is climate obstruction at work. They’re there to delay meaningful climate action, which every country in the world is obliged to do under international law. And they’re there to promote false solutions, false solutions like carbon-based — carbon markets, carbon capture and storage — these market-based solutions which are not going to save the planet.
You know, we know from all the science out there, and we now know that under international law, every single country in the world, whether they’re a member of the Paris Agreement or not, are obliged under law to stop fossil fuel extraction, to stop licenses, to stop subsidies, and every country has a legal obligation to regulate these private companies that operate within their borders. And a failure to do so is a breach of international law.
AMY GOODMAN: And you say the true reach of fossil fuel tentacles is undoubtedly deeper, as the lobbyist data excludes executives and other company representatives on official country delegations. You particularly single out United Arab Emirates, Russia and Azerbaijan. Explain.
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