Statement by Emilia Belliveau, Program Manager, Energy Transiton, Environmental Defence

It is embarrassing that the governments of Alberta and Canada keep bringing fossil fuel lobbyists to the UN climate negotiations. It threatens the integrity of this conference to have individuals platformed by the Canada Pavilion who do so much back home to undermine climate policy. Canada’s official delegation includes representatives from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), Tourmaline Oil Corp., and pro-oil lobby group Energy for a Secure Future. CAPP in particular has a long history of fighting every possible climate policy proposed by the government, along with other environmental protections, so that the fossil fuel industry can profit from polluting with impunity. 

We’ve seen the government of Alberta, along with other provinces at previous COP negotiations, use the conference as an opportunity to try and greenwash fossil fuel and extractive industries in Canada. That trend continues, but more and more often the other delegates here aren’t drinking the kool-aid. Yesterday, Kick Big Polluters Out released their report that found that fossil fuel lobbyists comprised 1 in 25 participants at this year’s COP climate summit, civil society organizations responded with immediate and resounding outrage.

The number of fossil fuel representatives outnumbered all the delegates from the 10 most climate vulnerable nations combined. Fossil fuel lobbyists have shown time and again that their presence here obstructs climate progress and blocks ambition. They should not be granted access to this space. 

In the Alberta government, it’s hard to tell who is and who isn’t a fossil fuel lobbyist and Mr. McDonald exemplifies that. There’s a revolving door among the ranks of senior civil servants in the Energy and Environment departments between industry and government, which is part of Big Oil’s playbook. When the provincial Ministry of the Environment counts among its high-level staff individuals who have led the charge against measures that protect Alberta’s environment and Alberta’s responsibility for climate change mitigation, you know there is a systemic problem.

The government of Alberta’s priorities on climate change, or lack thereof, are abundantly clear: block the momentum of cheap, clean renewable energy, backtrack by reopening coal mining, and play cover for Canada’s most polluting industry, the tar sands. For them to bring that anti-climate bias to COPis an egregious slap in the face to the countries, communities, and ecosystems already being ravaged by climate disasters. 

Background

• At the UN COP30 climate negotiations, Kick Big Polluters Out released their annual report tracking fossil fuel lobbyists participation in the conference. They report that more than 1600 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access, outnumbering every country’s delegation except the host Brazil. It means that one in every 25 participants represents fossil fuel industry interests. 
• The Centre for International Law analysis of COP30 delegates revealed that 531 lobbyists for the false-solution carbon capture and storage (CCS). The number of CCS delegates has been climbing over the last three years, now surpassing  than the national delegations from the G7 countries combined (481 delegates). Only the host country, Brazil, has a delegation size that surpasses the CCS lobbyists, with 899 delegates.
• The Canada Pavilion at COP30 in Belem hosted an event on November 14th that included fossil fuel industry lobbyists. The panel included a representative from Tourmaline Oil Corp, Scott Volk, which is Canada’s largest fracking company, as well as Patrick McDonald (Alberta Government, and former Assistant Vice President of CAPP), Alexandra Petre (Deep Sky), Stepane Germain (GHGSAT), and was hosted by Gordon Glen McCrimmon (Clean Resource Innovation Network, formerly at Huskey Energy and Imperial Oil). Jay Averill, the Assistant Vice President Communications for CAPP is also listed on Canada’s delegation.

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