Massive Industry Presence at COP30 Raises Alarm
More than 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists have gained access to the UN climate summit in Brazil, representing the largest-ever concentration of industry representatives at global climate negotiations according to analysis by the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition. The staggering figure means one in every 25 participants at COP30 in Belém represents the fossil fuel industry, marking a 12% increase from last year's climate talks.
Outnumbering Vulnerable Nations
The fossil fuel lobbyists significantly outnumber most country delegations, with only host country Brazil sending more people with its 3,805 delegates. The industry presence dwarfs representation from climate-vulnerable nations - fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber Philippines delegates by 50:1 and Jamaica's by 40:1. "It's infuriating to see their influence grow over the years. They mock the entire process and the communities suffering from climate change impacts," says Jax Bonbon of non-profit organization IBON International.
Corporate Capture of Climate Policy
Major trade associations like the International Emissions Trading Association brought representatives from oil giants including ExxonMobil, BP, and TotalEnergies. Several Global North countries included fossil fuel representatives within their official delegations, with France bringing 22, Japan 33, and Norway 17 fossil fuel lobbyists. "Fossil fuel lobbyists are allowed to influence climate policy, leading to false solutions and continued pollution. The past thirty years have shown this clearly," says Sara Fleischer of the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) in the Netherlands.
Transparency and Accountability Concerns
The KBPO coalition analyzed the preliminary participants list and identified all lobbyists with potential fossil fuel interests, counting anyone "reasonably assumed to have the objective of influencing policy formulation or implementation in favor of the fossil fuel industry." This includes representatives from companies like ExxonMobil and Shell, but also organizations with significant fossil fuel interests that may play roles in climate-resilient construction and energy transition.
Dutch dredging company Van Oord, for example, is represented at the climate summit. While the company plays a major role in the fossil fuel industry, it's also involved in wind farm construction and coastal protection - a pattern seen across many companies on the list.
Growing Calls for Reform
The coalition notes that fossil fuel industry representation has been consistently high at climate summits since the first meetings. They advocate for rules to better prevent conflicts of interest and force participants to be more transparent about the interests they represent. "It should be clear that you don't solve a problem by giving power to the creators of the problem," emphasizes Bonbon.
The findings come as 2025 is on track to become one of the hottest years on record, with climate disasters intensifying worldwide. Environmental advocates are demanding transparency and accountability, calling to exclude polluters from climate talks and make them pay for a just energy transition.