Fossil fuel interests have large, yet often murky, presence at climate talks, AP analysis finds
FILE - The coal-fired power plant Uniper Scholven and a nearby BP refinery shine in the evening behind illuminated appartments in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. Environmental activists say the lobbying of fossil fuel interests are the reason why climate talks have yet to produce an agreement to phase out coal, oil and natural gas, as scientists have repeatedly said must happen to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, like extreme weather events.
FILE - The sun sets behind the COP27 logo outside the venue of the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. As United Nations leaders, scientists and others called for an eventual elimination of coal, oil and natural gas, various delegations at the conference were connected to those fossil fuel industries.
Schwelgern coking plant, which is in operation for German steel producer thyssenkrupp Steel Europe operates in Duisburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The producer 无毛视频� whose emissions in 2022 rivaled those of some oil and gas majors, according to data they reported to non-profit CDP 无毛视频� sent four people with three different delegations to COP27.
FILE - Environmental activists including Greta Thunberg, center left, march with other demonstrators during the Oily Money Out protest at Canary Wharf, in London, Oct. 19, 2023. 无毛视频淲e cannot trust these politicians and we cannot trust the processes of the COPs because the fossil fuel industries are tightening their grip around their processes and dictating their outcomes,无毛视频� Thunberg said.
Freight ships are seen on the Rhine River at the Schwelgern coking plant of German steel producer thyssenkrupp Steel Europe in Duisburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The producer 无毛视频� whose emissions in 2022 rivaled those of some oil and gas majors, according to data they reported to non-profit CDP 无毛视频� sent four people with three different delegations to COP27.
FILE - Sultan al-Jaber, the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., speaks during the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Feb 14, 2023. Because the upcoming summit, COP28, is in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates got to choose the president, and picked al-Jaber.
FILE - Posters depicting Sultan al-Jaber, the COP28 President, are displayed at a bus stop outside the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, June 8, 2023. Because the upcoming summit, COP28, is in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates got to choose the president, picking the CEO of its national oil company, al-Jaber.
A BP refinery is producing fuels in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Attendees at last year无毛视频檚 climate talks, COP27, included top executives of BP, Shell, Equinor and TotalEnergies.
FILE - Demonstrators participate in a protest against fossil fuels at the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 18, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. As United Nations leaders, scientists and others called for an eventual elimination of coal, oil and natural gas, members of various delegations at the conference were connected to those industries.
FILE - Attendees of the COP27 U.N. Climate Summit arrive, Nov. 6, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. As United Nations leaders, scientists and others called for an eventual elimination of coal, oil and natural gas, various delegations at the conference were connected to those fossil fuel industries.
Children play in front of a blast furnace of German steel producer thyssenkrupp Steel Europe in Duisburg, Germany, Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. The producer 无毛视频� whose emissions in 2022 rivaled those of some oil and gas majors, according to data they reported to non-profit CDP 无毛视频� sent four people with three different delegations to COP27.
Pedro Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, a holding company that includes a major California utility, stands for a photo in Rosemead, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Pizarro says his firm doesn无毛视频檛 burn fossil fuels and he doesn无毛视频檛 consider it a fossil fuel company even though they get at least 40% of the electricity they supply from burning natural gas.
AES Indiana Petersburg Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Petersburg, Ind., on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Environmental activists say the lobbying of fossil fuel interests are the reason why climate talks have yet to produce an agreement to phase out coal, oil and natural gas, as scientists have repeatedly said must happen to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, like extreme weather events.
FILE - People take part in a Fridays For Future global climate protest against fossil fuel use in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 15, 2023. As United Nations leaders, scientists and others called for an eventual elimination of coal, oil and natural gas, various delegations at the COP27 climate conference were connected to those fossil fuel industries.
Vesta Terminals holding oil is reflected in Tallinn, Estonia, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Mercuria, part owner in Vesta Terminals, which operates storage terminals that hold crude oil, petroleum products and other liquids, sent six people to the COP in Egypt.
The badges said they were there to participate in negotiations to curb climate change. They stated affiliations like the government of Brazil, Indigenous organizations of the Amazon, the Climate Registry. But in reality, the livelihoods of these participants were more aligned with what无毛视频檚 keeping the problem going: fossil fuels.
Close to 400 people connected in some way or another to fossil fuel industries attended last year无毛视频檚 United Nations climate talks in Egypt, a grouping that was larger than all but two of the national delegations sent by countries, according to a data analysis of the more than 24,000 participants by The Associated Press.
As United Nations leaders, scientists and others called for an eventual elimination of coal, oil and natural gas, various delegations included attendees who in some way owed part or all of their paychecks to fossil fuel burning. Many of these same people, and possibly even more connected to fossil fuels, will likely be at this year无毛视频檚 official climate talks, known as Conference of Parties or COP, being hosted by the United Arab Emirates, a major oil producing country.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 outsized influence,无毛视频� said Center for Biological Diversity无毛视频檚 Jean Su, who sits on the board that represents civil society and environmental groups at these meetings. 无毛视频淭hese COPs are often wining-and-dining fests for fossil fuel corporations that want to profit off of climate.无毛视频�
While the presence is palpable无毛视频搒uch as oil countries and companies with huge, flashy stands in the trades pavilions无毛视频搕he influence is hard to quantify because much of the negotiating is done behind closed doors.
These annual meetings, which have occurred since 1995, convene in different cities each year. The host city runs the event and sets the agenda. Because the upcoming summit, COP28, is in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates got to choose the president, picking the CEO of its national oil company, Sultan al-Jaber.
As to be expected at a summit focused on the environment, there are many environmental activists, more than 750 last year, by AP无毛视频檚 count. But they say their voices are not being heard, and instead the lobbying of fossil fuel interests are why climate talks have yet to produce an agreement to phase out coal, oil and natural gas, as scientists have repeatedly said must happen to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, like extreme weather events.
无毛视频淧eople all over the world are suffering and dying from the consequences of the climate crisis caused by these industries who we allow to meet with our politicians and have privileged access to,无毛视频� climate activist Greta Thunberg said in an October protest in London. 无毛视频淲e cannot trust these politicians and we cannot trust the processes of the COPs because the fossil fuel industries are tightening their grip around their processes and dictating their outcomes.无毛视频�
WIDE RANGE OF AFFILIATIONS
The AP analyzed the affiliations of attendees of COP27, reviewing details they offered on their badges. Those details were checked against lists of operators and owners of coal mines, oil fields and natural gas plants, as well as manufacturers of carbon-intensive materials like steel and cement.
Attendees in 2022 included top executives of BP, Shell, Equinor and TotalEnergies. The head of the world无毛视频檚 largest oil and gas firm, Saudi Aramco, was at the site on a 无毛视频渟ideline无毛视频� event. And al-Jaber, chief of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, was also there and will be in charge of this year无毛视频檚 climate negotiations. The operations and products of those companies and others are huge contributors to climate change: global oil and gas use alone was responsible for more than half of the world无毛视频檚 40.5 billion tons (36.8 billion metric tons) of greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency.
It wasn无毛视频檛 just fossil fuel giants that showed up.
Take Mercuria Energy. The Switzerland-based firm calls itself 无毛视频渙ne of the world无毛视频檚 largest energy traders,无毛视频� with 69% of their 2022 traded volumes in oil and natural gas. The firm is also a part-owner in Vesta Terminals, which operates storage terminals that hold crude oil, petroleum products and other liquids, as well as a marine fuels company called Minerva Bunkering.
Mercuria sent six people to the COP in Egypt. Its chief trader, Magid Shenouda, went as part of the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin. Others from Mercuria went as members of delegations for the Brazilian government, the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Emissions Trading Association and Winrock International, a nonprofit that works to help poorer countries with social, environmental and agricultural issues.
无毛视频淲e attend these events because we believe the world needs to change to a global energy system that is reliable, affordable, and sustainable,无毛视频� firm spokesman Matthew Lauer said in an email.
COMPANIES ATTEND VIA COUNTRY DELEGATIONS
Mercuria was not the only company that sent people with a national delegation. Two employees with the China National Petroleum Company, which is state-owned and one of the largest energy companies in the world, attended as part of the delegation of Niger, the African nation where the company is constructing a pipeline. Thyssenkrupp, a German steelmaker with emissions in 2022 that rivaled those of some oil and gas majors, according to data they reported to non-profit CDP, sent four people with three different delegations.
Nearly a quarter of people with connections to fossil fuels in AP无毛视频檚 analysis attended with an electric utility. For many of those companies, fossil fuels remain the primary energy source. Take AES Corporation, which sent two people to the conference: More than half of the global company无毛视频檚 generation capacity is natural gas or coal, although AES aims to phase out coal by 2025, according to its most recent annual report to investors.
Houston-based Apache Corporation drills for oil and gas in Texas, Britain无毛视频檚 North Sea and Egypt, with more than 850 million barrels of oil equivalent in proven but yet-to-be-pumped oil reserves. Apache Executive Vice President David Pursell was at the climate talks, part of the six fossil fuel connected members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce delegation the AP identified.
无毛视频淏y inviting the oil and gas industry to participate in the conversation, we can create pragmatic solutions to addressing global energy poverty while minimizing our environmental impact,无毛视频� Pursell said in a statement.
Alden Meyer, who has been to all but one COP and is an analyst for the European think-tank E3G, says the big numbers of attendees connected to fossil fuels show these industries see the summits as 无毛视频渆ither a threat or maybe an opportunity or both for their business,无毛视频� but the system isn无毛视频檛 set up to tell motives and lobbying efforts.
Meyer and climate negotiations historian Joanna Depledge of the University of Cambridge in England say the fossil fuel interests have huge influence over the event, but the influence begins ahead of the talks.
无毛视频淣ational positions are forged way before governments fly to the COPs,无毛视频� said Depledge.
However, much of the advocating for fossil fuels doesn无毛视频檛 come directly from countries or companies. Last year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce无毛视频檚 Global Energy Institute sent four employees to the summit. Marty Durbin, the institute无毛视频檚 president and former executive of the American Petroleum Institute, says the institute is a 无毛视频渉uge无毛视频� supporter of natural gas, noting that in developing countries natural gas is an alternative to far-dirtier coal.
Durbin says the interests of the chamber无毛视频檚 wide business constituency must be represented in the negotiations, adding that chamber officials met with John Kerry at COP27 in support of that view and recently met with COP28 leaders in Abu Dhabi.
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know why we无毛视频檙e trying to push people away instead of saying, 无毛视频楥ome in and let无毛视频檚 all work on this together,'无毛视频� said Durbin, speaking from an oil and gas conference in October in Abu Dhabi.
For the upcoming talks in Dubai, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which organizes COPs, has changed its badging process to be more transparent. Attendees will be required to state affiliation and relationship to their delegation.
LEGACY OIL INFLUENCE
Historian Depledge points to the first COP in Berlin for what has happened since. Thanks to oil industry lobbying, when setting its rules the convention decided against adopting decisions by majority rule and instead opted for the much harder consensus, she said. That means if a big player or several nations object, a proposal fails. India scuttled a 2021 proposal to phase out coal, watering the language down.
The No. 2 of the upcoming COP, Adnan Amin, told AP that consensus rule means that an agreement to phase out fossil fuels is unlikely. However, he said that in participating in the talks the oil and gas industry 无毛视频渨ill understand they need to move much faster than they无毛视频檝e been moving无毛视频� to reduce emissions.
Pedro Pizarro, president of Edison International, a holding company that includes a major California utility, is quick to say his firm doesn无毛视频檛 burn fossil fuels and he doesn无毛视频檛 consider it a fossil fuel company, even though they get at least 40% of the electricity they supply from burning natural gas.
When Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which set targets to limit global temperature rise, Pizarro still went to the negotiations, telling AP that 无毛视频渢he U.S. was essentially absent; there were a few of us CEOs were there saying, 无毛视频楬ey, we无毛视频檙e still in this无毛视频�.无毛视频�
Then in 2021, President Joe Biden returned the U.S. to the talks. Pizarro says he met with U.S. Special Climate Envoy John Kerry, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and domestic climate czar Gina McCarthy at those negotiations, talking about transitioning to clean energy and supporting Biden无毛视频檚 efforts to pass legislation.
Pizarro says he hopes that carbon capture and storage technologies will allow some fossil fuel burning to continue. Carbon capture removes carbon dioxide from the source of burning or from the air and is intertwined with fossil fuel businesses because promises to to abate emissions are critical to the net-zero pledges of many nations and companies, especially the oil and gas industry. However, the technology is years, if not decades, away from having an impact at scale.
无毛视频淩ight now the problem to solve isn无毛视频檛 fossil fuel,无毛视频� Pizarro said. 无毛视频淭he problem to solve is climate.无毛视频�
Su disagrees and says all utilities are connected to fossil fuels.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 the fox guarding the henhouse and they should not be at the table when it无毛视频檚 governments who have the jurisdiction to regulate,无毛视频� Su said. 无毛视频淭hey are only accountable to shareholders and governments should have full say over what is best for the public.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭he (COP) process is broken,无毛视频� Su said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 deeply frustrating.无毛视频�
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