Dubai’s United Nations climate summit has attracted a record number of fossil fuel industry representatives, with more than 1,300 employees from organizations linked to the industry registering to attend this year’s COP28. This is more than triple the amount of attendees from the previous year.
The rise in numbers can be attributed to new rules mandating attendees to disclose their employment details. Additionally, combined with a year of unprecedented heat and extreme weather events due to climate change, registers for this year’s event have nearly doubled.
While these industry professionals only make up a small portion of the 90,000 people registered to attend the conference, their presence has raised concerns among environmentalists. The companies represented by these employees contribute significantly to global emissions, prompting many to question their attendance at a conference aimed at addressing climate change.
Bob Deans of the Natural Resources Defense Council expressed hope that this year’s discussions would mark a turning point for the oil and gas industry, with a shift towards becoming part of the solution. COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber also acknowledged the involvement of oil and gas companies in his opening remarks and emphasized the need for additional efforts from these corporations.
Some companies, including TotalEnergies, Shell, Chevron, and BP, have made commitments to reduce emissions and reach net-zero goals. However, environmental advocates remain skeptical of these initiatives, questioning the focus on unproven solutions like carbon capture and storage.
Criticism of the heavy involvement of fossil fuel companies has gained attention, particularly challenging their participation in negotiations at the conference. Despite this, oil and gas industry representatives continue to attend the climate talks, in part to advocate for low-carbon technologies and support efforts to reduce emissions.
The debate over the role of fossil fuel companies at climate summits remains a contentious issue, and the need for meaningful, collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has never been more pressing.
