COP26: Fossil fuel industry has largest delegation at climate summit

Campaigners at the COP26 have found that 503 people attending the conference have links to fossil fuel interests. These delegates are said to be [fossil fuel] lobbyists for oil and gas industries and campaigners want them banned from the summit. Campaigners are saying that the delegates are the reasons why 25 years of UN climate talks have not led to real cuts in global emissions.

Fossil fuel lobbyists are defined as people who are part of a delegation of a trade association or is a member of a group that represents the interests of oil and gas companies – this definition was created by Global Witness, Corporate Accountability, and other companies that did the research.

They found that:

                    i.             Fossil fuel lobbyists are members of two country delegations, Canada, and Russia.

                  ii.            The fossil fuel lobby at COP is larger than the 8 delegations from countries worst affected by climate change in the last 20 years.

                iii.            Over 100 fossil fuel companies are represented at COP, with 30 trade associations and membership organizations present.

                iv.             Fossil fuel lobbyists dwarf the UNFCCC’s official indigenous constituency by {approximately) two to one.

One of the largest groups identified as the International Emissions Trading Association, with 103 delegates present including 3 people from BP.

According to Global Witness, IETA is supported by major oil companies that promote offsetting and carbon trading as a way of allowing them to continue extracting oil and gas.

 I believe there should be fewer delegates that are from oil and gas companies because of their selfish interests, which would keep their businesses afloat. The summit needs to come up with more restrictions on these companies, not just carbon trading because that has not had any significant impact on the climate. These restrictions need to be stricter and have corresponding sanctions for any violations, in order to slow down the rate global warming. 

**COP26 is a United Nations climate change summit. COP stands for a conference of the parties and 26 highlights that this is the 26^th conference.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59199484