Statement from Julia Levin, Associate Director, National Climate
Fossil fuel lobbyists are once again swarming the international climate negotiations, including within Canada’s official delegation. According to Environmental Defence’s analysis of the UN’s Provisional List of Registered Participants at COP29, 28 people with ties to the fossil fuel sector were given Party badges by Canada.
This is somewhat less than the 35 lobbyists who granted access to COP28 last year through an official Canadian badge. However, when considering that Bakuu’s COP29 has half the participants compared to the negotiations last year, this isn’t a significant decrease. It’s also much higher than the eight people with ties to the fossil fuel industry included in Canada’s list of badge holders at COP27. This is not the full list of oil and gas lobbyists from Canada who are present at COP29, as most will have observer badges rather than official party badges.
Last year, following Environmental Defence’s initial reporting of these numbers, the Government of Canada had clarified that the fossil fuel lobbyists were included in Alberta’s list of delegates, which the federal government has no control over. We have yet to receive a similar clarification this year.
Fossil fuel lobbyists have no place at climate talks. They are attending in bad faith, to spread misinformation, promote dangerous distractions and defend private interests which are unaligned with the goals of the climate negotiations.
Last year at COP 28, countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. So it is not surprising that fossil fuel executives are swarming COP29, in an effort to sabotage progress and peddle their dangerous distractions, like carbon capture and hydrogen. This is the desperate last gasp of an industry that knows that their time is up. As the head of the International Energy Agency has put it, we are approaching the end of the fossil fuel era.
Background Info
Canadian delegation badges were issued to:
- 19 employees of oil and gas companies, fossil gas utilities and industry associations. This includes representatives from Cenovus Energy, Enbridge, Imperial Oil, Suncor the Pathways Alliance, a coalition of the largest tar sands companies in Canada and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
- 9 people from groups affiliated with the oil and gas industry, such as Energy for a Secure Future, which runs massive advertising campaigns in Ottawa promoting fossil exports, as well as Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada.
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.
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For more information or to request an interview, please contact: Alex Ross, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca
