More than 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists have flooded COP30 in Belém , the largest share in UN climate history, outnumbering vulnerable nations and deepening fears of corporate capture as activists warn the talks are becoming a “Conference of Polluters.”
Fossil fuel lobbyists have flooded the COP30 climate summit in Brazil in record numbers, with more than 1,600 industry representatives granted access, a staggering jump of over 390% compared with COP26 in Glasgow, where only 503 lobbyists were registered.
The new analysis from the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition warns that one in every 25 people inside COP30 is a fossil fuel lobbyist, the largest share ever recorded in the history of UN climate negotiations. The number also marks a 12% rise from last year’s talks in Baku, despite overall attendance in Belém being smaller.
Industry representatives now outnumber the delegations of almost every nation, except host country Brazil, whose 3,805-strong team is the only one larger.
The KBPO coalition, which reviewed the COP30 participant list line-by-line, said the findings expose a deepening crisis of credibility for the UN climate process.
‘You cannot solve a problem by empowering those who caused it’
“It’s common sense that you cannot solve a problem by giving power to those who caused it,” said Jax Bongon of IBON International in the Philippines. “Yet 30 years and 30 COPs later, more than 1,500 fossil fuel lobbyists are roaming the climate talks as if they belong here.”
The imbalance is starkest for frontline nations: industry lobbyists outnumber official delegates from the Philippines by nearly 50 to 1, even as the country reels from destructive typhoons during the summit. They outnumber Jamaica’s team by more than 40 to 1, despite Hurricane Melissa’s recent devastation.
Fossil fuel lobbyists also received two-thirds more badges than all ten of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries combined 1,600 compared to 1,061.
Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, said, “It is unacceptable that those responsible for the climate crisis have a louder voice than the people living with its consequences. COP30 must amplify the voices of the vulnerable, not the polluters.”
Deepening influence through trade associations and government badges
Major industry associations remain key channels of access. The International Emissions Trading Association brought 60 delegates, including from ExxonMobil, BP and TotalEnergies.
Behind-the-scenes access is also expanding: 599 lobbyists entered using Party “overflow” badges, giving them access to backroom negotiations. Several Global North governments included fossil fuel representatives on their official delegations:
- France: 22 fossil fuel delegates, including five from TotalEnergies
- Japan: 33 fossil fuel lobbyists
- Norway: 17 representatives, including senior Equinor executives
In total, 164 lobbyists entered COP30 using official government badges, exempt from new transparency rules that require non-government attendees to disclose funders and objectives.
A rising tide of corporate capture
Activists warn that the ballooning presence of oil and gas interests is directly undermining the Paris Agreement and the credibility of COP30, which Brazil has branded the “Implementation COP.”
“This is no longer a climate conference, it is a marketplace for corporate greenwashing,” said Lidy Nacpil of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development. “Polluters are being given more space than the people living the consequences.”
Several KBPO members drew connections between fossil fuel expansion, escalating climate violence and geopolitical conflicts, accusing some companies present at COP30 of enabling “fossil-fuelled war and occupation.”
The stakes rise as the planet heats
The report lands in a year expected to be among the hottest ever recorded, with atmospheric CO₂ levels at unprecedented highs and nearly $250 billion approved for new oil and gas projects since COP29.
“What we are witnessing is a hostile takeover of the UN climate process,” said Kumi Naidoo of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative. “We are not here to negotiate with arsonists.”
Demand grows for polluter-free COPs
For years, more than 70% of the world’s population, represented by the countries calling for conflict-of-interest rules has pushed the UN to bar fossil fuel influence from climate talks. But no such mechanism exists.
“The UNFCCC has tested positive for corporate capture,” said Pim Sullivan-Tailyour of the UK Youth Climate Coalition. “While Indigenous peoples struggle to enter the venue, fossil fuel lobbyists walk in freely.”
Civil society groups say COP30’s credibility hinges on kicking big polluters out. “Every fossil fuel lobbyist inside these talks is a barrier to real climate action,” said Patrick Galey of Global Witness. “They are a tiny minority of humanity, yet they dominate the only global forum designed to protect the planet.”
