In this second week, COP26 includes themes of Adaptation, loss and damage, Gender, Science and innovation, Transport, and the built environment. A major source of tension between activists outside of COP and the delegators inside has to do with the fossil fuel industry having hundreds of people present at the key climate talks in Glasgow, giving the sector a bigger delegation than any country.
Analysis of the UN’s provisional list of named attendees suggests 503 delegates at Cop26 who are either directly affiliated with fossil fuel companies such as oil, gas or coal firms. That means fossil fuel representation outcompetes the largest single country delegation by two dozen people. Fossil fuel lobbyists dominate the negotiations and have more seats at the table when compared to some of the most vulnerable countries at the conference. COP has faced criticism for a lack of access for at-risk countries and communities because of travel restrictions and a lack of vaccines in developing nations due to the pandemic.
Two weeks ago the BBC and “Unearthed” revealed that the Saudi government tried to influence the wording of a landmark UN climate science report, due for publication in March next year. Representatives from the Saudi oil ministry pushed the authors of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report on Mitigation to remove a reference that found fossil fuels need to be phased out if we’re to avoid the worst effects of climate change. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest oil exporters.
The national oil company Aramco announced last month that it plans to increase its oil production capacity from 12 million to 13 million barrels a day by 2027. Two weeks later the government announced a pledge to reach ‘net zero’ by 2060 but failed to provide any evidence that the country’s leaders intend to implement policies to actually meet the goal. Saudi negotiators are able to undermine the success of COP26 negotiations because every decision requires a consensus across all 196 countries in attendance. This means a single nation can veto progress. There are no agreed voting rules in the UNFCCC because Saudi Arabia has been blocking them since the body was created after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
How do you feel about the amount of seats at COP26 reserved for fossil fuel industry delegates, and the blocks being put on negotiations in the name of the oil market? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
