By JKNewsMedia Environment
THE PRESENCE of 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists at the ongoing COP29 summit in Baku has sparked outrage among environmental rights groups in Africa, who warn that the industry’s influence is obstructing climate justice.
The Africa Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP) Coalition, which includes prominent Nigerian and African organizations like the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and Gender CC South Africa, condemned the overwhelming presence of corporate lobbyists representing oil giants.
These lobbyists outnumbered delegates from the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, highlighting a stark power imbalance.
According to Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO), fossil fuel lobbyists now exceed even the host nation’s delegation, Azerbaijan, and several other countries, including Brazil and Türkiye.
This trend underscores the growing concern that the fossil fuel industry’s influence is outweighing the voices of communities suffering from climate change. African climate campaigners, including Akinbode Oluwafemi of CAPPA and Nnimmo Bassey of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, have called for immediate action to expel these lobbyists and ensure that the climate negotiations center the needs of vulnerable populations, not corporate profits.
The group assert that the presence of these lobbyists represents a significant barrier to the implementation of meaningful climate policies.
They noted that the lobbysts have been linked to the ongoing global climate crisis and even accused of enabling environmental destruction in Palestine.
Despite COP29’s aims to end fossil fuel dependency, the continued corporate presence raises doubts about the summit’s ability to deliver justice for affected communities.
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