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A record number of fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access to the COP28 climate conference in the United Arab Emirates.
Now that the climate conference has finished, the true extent to which the oil industry had infiltrated the climate discussions has become clear. This year, country delegations were required to declare the affiliations of each delegate.
Yet at least 15 people who were registered for Saudi Arabia’s delegation were undeclared employees of Saudi Aramco, as data has since shown. This means that oil executives infiltrated COP28 without disclosing their true interests.
Oil cartel Opec’s presence at COP28 was clearly felt in other ways too. On 8 December, news broke that Opec, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia and Russia, had urged its member states and allies to prevent the inclusion of fossil fuels in the COP28 deal, stating that “undue and disproportionate pressure against fossil fuels may reach a tipping point.”
Opec Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais had previously commented that “we need realistic approaches to tackle emissions. One that enables economic growth, helps eradicate poverty, and increases resilience at the same time.”
Opec came out in full force to represent the interests of the fossil fuel industry. In a statement on its website issued prior to COP28, Opec said: “This year [there is] focus on the role of the oil industry in energy transitions, whether it should have a seat at the negotiating table, or if it has a future at all.”
Opec simultaneously announced that it would have its very own pavilion at COP28, where it would showcase its own initiatives and actions to combat climate change. These ‘initiatives and actions’ refer to the fossil fuel industry’s preference to focus on carbon capture technology. The industry argues that we should be focusing on phasing out the emissions generated by fossil fuels, rather than phasing out fossil fuels.
Following the highly anticipated global stocktake agreement at COP28, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, already stated that the deal “doesn’t impose anything” and would allow the country to reduce emissions according to their own means and interests.
Opec’s resistance to fossil fuel phase-outs at COP28 and thereafter underscores the tension between economic interests and addressing climate change. As the energy transition progresses, Opec’s role in global energy dynamics remains a subject of intense debate and scrutiny.
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