Oil companies have achieved distortion More than 1,600 lobbyists are represented at COP30 in Brazil, according to an official list compiled by the KBPO (Big Polluters Out) coalition. That’s why the industry rushed into conversations at the climate summit with delegates discussing how to abandon the product they sell: fossil fuels.
Although this total number is slightly lower than the absolute numbers detected at the summits in Azerbaijan last year and Dubai in 2023, in proportion to the final number of participants at the summits, “we are facing an absolute record,” the coalition recalls. One in 25 participants comes from the fossil fuel industry.
So while countries are discussing how to bury oil, gas and coal, and Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva said in Belém that “we need a compass to move away from dependence on fossil fuels,” the oil lobby is using several avenues of infiltration to protect its interests in the corridors and rooms of the summit.
It is infuriating to see the fossil industry deepening its influence over the years and making a mockery of the negotiation process.
Jax Bobon
— KBPO member
“It seems like common sense that you don’t solve problems by giving power to the people who caused them,” says Jax Bobon, one of the coalition’s members. Bobon, who arrived in Belém do Para from the Philippines, which has just been hit by super typhoon Fann, said the situation is “furious to see how the fossil industry is deepening its influence year by year and making a mockery of the negotiation process.”
According to KBPO tracking, large trade organizations are the main entry route for lobbyists. The International Emissions Trading Association, for example, is bringing 60 representatives, including representatives from BP, ExxonMobil and Total Energy.
A closer look at the delegations that attended Brazil revealed further findings. Fossil fuel companies received two-thirds more official passes than delegates from the 10 countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change due to their products, giving a hint at how companies can take advantage of the summit’s climate talks.
And the intrusion methods don’t end there. KBPO found that “several states in the Global North” have incorporated oil industry representatives into their national delegations. It went on to detail that France has 22 oil lobbyists on its team, including “five people from Total Energy,” including CEO Patrick Pouyan.
According to the study, Japan has brought in members from Norway, which includes six executives from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Osaka Gas, which have been manufacturing machinery for the fossil industry, or state-run fossil company Equinor.
Additionally, the majority of these fossil fuel lobbyists (599 people, according to KBPO) are accredited with access to the rooms where COP work and negotiations take place.
And shutting off oil while drilling?
The conflicts of interest these activists talk about are clear. On the other hand, achieving the Paris Agreement requires a shift away from fossil fuels. Meanwhile, oil companies are in many cases abandoning efforts to tackle climate change, as Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House heralds new opportunities to resume traditional operations.
Fossil fuel lobbyists are trying to turn the summit into a trade show for polluters. As long as they are allowed to participate in discussions to protect their own interests, real solutions will not be possible.
nathan stewart
— Zero Fossil Fuel Policy Campaign Coordinator
Indeed, on the eve of COP30, just before the delegation arrived in Belém do Para, ExxonMobil reported record oil and gas production for the third quarter of this year. It generated revenue of $7.5 billion during the same period.
Along these same lines, oil leaders Exxon, as well as Chevron and Shell, continue to increase oil production despite the risk of saturation and the fact that OPEC countries continue to export more barrels every month.
Meanwhile, Britain’s BP has already started its sixth oil and gas project (out of 10 new projects planned by 2027) in the North Sea. “These reflect BP’s strength in increasing production,” said Euan Drummond, vice president of projects.
France’s TotalEnergies, which is also represented at COP30, forecasts production of 2.5 million barrels per day this quarter, up 4% from a year ago.
KBPO analysis shows that the number of fossil fuel lobbyists has remained consistently high since the start of climate change negotiations. “These findings reinforce the urgent need to protect UN negotiations by establishing a clear conflict of interest regime.”
“Fossil fuel lobbyists have flooded this year’s COP30 and are trying to turn the summit into a trade show for polluters,” said Nathan Stewart, campaign coordinator for Fossil Free Politics. And, he predicts, “as long as they are allowed to participate in discussions to protect their own interests, real solutions will not be possible.”
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