18 out of 20 entities sponsoring the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 directly supported or partnered with the fossil fuel industry, according to an analysis by Corporate European Observatory (CEO) and Corporate Accountability.
The revelation comes on the heels of investigation by Global Witness that a total of 636 fossil fuel lobbyists were accredited to attend the negotiations in Sharm El Sheikh.
The global CSOs in a release, Friday, lamented that the talks have already been blemished by revelations of corporate interference and influence, such as the COP Presidency retaining a notable PR firm for Big Oil and the presence of more than 636 fossil fuel lobbyists.
Though sponsorship by the world’s top plastic polluter for five years running, Coca-Cola, has already received extensive scrutiny, other sponsors raise similar questions about the integrity of these negotiations.
Among this year’s sponsors are banks that directly finance the fossil fuel industry such as Afreximbank and Mashreq. “There are corporations that build and operate gas-fired power plants like Orascom Construction and Siemens. There are also tech and communications corporations including Cisco, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Vodafone that provide a range of services for the fossil fuel industry.
“As if it weren’t bad enough that lobbyists for corporations like Shell, BP, and Chevron were walking the halls of COP27. Now the revelation that the entire conference is being bankrolled by corporations with close industry ties? After 30 years of allowing polluters to upend progress, governments need to finally put an end to the madness and kick big polluters out,” said Pascoe Sabido, a researcher and campaigner for CEO.
“Corporations shouldn’t sponsor climate talks, let alone support the deadly agenda of those with ties to the very industry responsible for the climate crisis. Making the primary global forum for averting climate catastrophe a greenwashing platform for polluters undermines the UNFCCC and all its aspirations. This isn’t a trade show, it’s our near final chance to save millions of lives and ensure a livable planet for all,” said Rachel Rose Jackson, director of climate research and policy at Corporate Accountability.
Philip Jakpor, Director of Programs, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, queried: “PR by a firm that shills for the fossil fuel industry? More fossil fuel lobbyists than the combined delegations of 15 African countries combined? A who’s who of polluters, fossil fuel financiers, and industry enablers bankrolling the COP? To a malaria conference, you don’t invite the mosquitos.”
