Campaigners said the findings appeared to set the stage for COP27 to be a «festival of fossil fuels and their polluting friends.»
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — More than 600 fossil fuel industry delegates have been registered to attend the COP27 climate talks in Egypt, according to analysis from campaign groups, reflecting an increase of over 25% from last year.
The sharp jump in attendees associated with some of the world’s biggest polluting oil and gas giants at the U.N.’s flagship climate conference is thought to reflect the rise in the influence of the fossil fuel industry to shape the debate.
Campaigners described the findings as a «twisted joke» and said it appeared to set the stage for COP27 to be a «festival of fossil fuels and their polluting friends, buoyed by recent bumper profits.»
A spokesperson for Egypt’s COP presidency was not immediately available to comment on the findings of the report.
Around 35,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries are expected to convene in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss collective action to tackle the climate emergency.
An analysis of data from the U.N.’s provisional list of named attendees by campaign groups Corporate Accountability, Corporate Europe Observatory and Global Witness found that 636 fossil fuel lobbyists had been registered to take part in the talks.
