Youth and civil society organisations have expressed disappointment at the number of fossil fuel lobbying countries represented at this year’s Conference of Parties commonly known as COP28.

Speaking on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai yesterday Pacific climate warriors spokesperson Drue Slatter said pacific island countries go to COP’s year in and year out to talk about the impacts of climate change, how sea level is rising, but the perpetrators of the climate crisis were being allowed to help write the rules in these conferences.

“When I say I am angry about the number of fossil fuel lobbyists in these talks, I am not angry for the people in our islands,” Ms Slatter said.

“I am angry for our negotiators.

“Much of the progress we have made in climate has been due to the sweat and tears of pacific island negotiators, the achievements, the Paris Agreement, the loss and damage fund and the continued fight to phase out all fossil fuels and stay below 1.5 degrees of heating.

“Many of them is thanks to the long nights of pacific negotiators.

“So, why in this arena when we actually have the opportunity to fight for our survival, do we have to settle for a process that is rigged against us, where the perpetrators of the climate crisis are allowed to help write the rules.”

350.org Pacific regional managing director Joseph Sikulu said there were 2456 fossil fuel lobbyists at COP28.

There were more fuel lobbyists at COP28 than delegates from the 10 most climate vulnerable countries combined, he said.

“They are the third largest presence at COP and that is just behind the UAE and Brazil the COP presidency,” Mr Sikulu said.

“In a year where global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions shatter records, here at COP28 we have set a new record too – 2456 fossil fuel lobbyists.”

PICAN

Pacific Islands Climate Action Network regional coordinator Lavetanalagi Seru said at this years COP, they wanted to ensure the phasing out of fossil fuel and the phasing in of renewable energy were included in the final text of the conference.

“Our biggest attention now is around ending fossil fuel, we are calling out the phase out of fossil fuel,” Mr Seru said.

“We want to see this line strongly reflected in the cover decision of this year’s COP.

“We are trying to get that language into the different tracks so you know there are negotiations on the mitigation work programme, there is negotiations happening on the global stock take and these are entry points for us to come and push that ambition into the negotiations.”

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