‘It’s a bit like inviting tobacco companies to a health summit,’ activist says.

With tens of thousands in Dubai for the climate talks, environmentalists and policy experts are expressing concern over the growing presence of fossil fuel lobbyists at the meetings.

COP28 is viewed by climate scientists and activists as a pivotal conference to cutting global greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, after a summer of record-setting heat. 

A slew of recent reports has shown a need to quickly transition away from oil and gas toward renewables, or face ever-rising global temperatures. 

An analysis from a coalition of advocacy groups found representatives of the fossil fuel industry have been in attendance a total of 7,200 times at the annual United Nations climate talks over the past two decades.

“There is a conflict of interest there,” Andréanne Brazeau, a policy analyst with the Montreal-based environmental group Equiterre, said in an interview before heading to Dubai.

“It’s a bit like inviting tobacco companies to a health summit.”

Last year, Canada had one of the largest delegations from the fossil fuel sector — second only to Russia, according to an analysis by the Associated Press. Eleven representatives from the industry were part of the Canadian delegation. 

In all, close to 400 people connected to fossil fuel industries attended the climate conference in 2022, a grouping that was larger than all but two of the national delegations sent by countries, according to AP’s data analysis of the more than 24,000 participants.

• U.A.E. pushes its ‘green’ ambition as COP28 gets underway in Dubai
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Read more: cbc.ca

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