The phasing out of fossil fuels is the biggest agenda item during this year’s climate summit in Dubai. The world leaders now only have around 24 hours left on the clock before a possible agreement on phasing out expires. While some countries and groups want an agreement on the phasing out of all fossil fuels, others want to be able to continue using coal, oil and gas, if emissions are reduced. Some are against both options. Both researchers, environmental organizations and several world leaders have been clear that a total phasing out of the production and use of fossil fuels is absolutely essential to prevent a global climate catastrophe. Wopke Hoekstram addressed the assembly during the climate summit and said that all 27 EU countries want the climate summit to be the beginning of the end for fossil energy sources. Photo: Reuters – Let me be very explicit. We must phase out all fossil fuels. It’s that simple. And not because I say so – because scientists tell us that is the goal we should live up to. That was said by former Shell employee Wopke Hoekstram, the oil man who is now the EU’s climate commissioner, during the climate summit in Dubai. A UN report from November shows that the plans are to produce more than double (110 per cent more) what is compatible with the 1.5 degree target in the Paris Agreement. At the same time, a historically high number of “oil lobbyists” have turned up during this year’s climate negotiations. On Friday, it became known that the leader of the oil cartel Opec has asked the member states to oppose any agreement at COP28 on the phasing out of fossil energy extraction. This has led to strong reactions from a number of countries. New record At least 2,456 people associated with the oil and gas industry are present in Dubai. This is four times as many as at last year’s COP in Sharm el-Sheikh, which last year was a record year. In comparison, indigenous representatives have 316 official representatives at the meeting. Activists protest against fossil fuels on the sidelines of the UN climate summit COP28 in Dubai. Photo: AFP Comparing with previous climate summits is not entirely easy, because new UN rules have this year made it easier to get an overview of who the participants represent. This year’s COP breaks all records, with over 100,000 participants. But according to Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO), the number of delegates with fossil connections this year is a record high. Those who have ended up on the lobbyist list are delegates linked to companies or organizations that work with fossil energy. Among the companies that have representatives at the meeting are ExxonMobil, BP and Norwegian Equinor. – Business and the oil industry have too much power Environmental and development organization Spire is also in place in Dubai, and has followed the climate negotiations closely for many years. They have observed that while the fight over fossil fuels intensifies, the tendency towards the presence of what the environmental movement calls the “oil lobbyists” increases. – Business and the oil industry already have far too much power here. And part of what I think is particularly worthy of criticism is the type of power Equinor, Yara and Norsk Hydro have been given, says Elise Åsnes, head of Spire. Elise Åsnes in the environmental organization Spire has to sit in the hallway because she has not been awarded the same accreditation as, among others, Equinor, Norsk Hydro and Yara. – It is very unfair, we need civil society to be present and ensure climate-just solutions, she says. Photo: PRIVAT When news talks to Åsnes, she sits in the hallway outside one of the meeting rooms in Dubai. Inside, only those with so-called “pink badges” accreditation are allowed to be present. They get the companies involved in the purchase as part of the Norwegian business delegation. Price tag: NOK 400,000. – They have access to much more information because of the accreditation that the Norwegian delegation has given them. This gives them a greater opportunity to influence, while it reduces civil society’s opportunity, says Åsnes. She is surprised that “the big emitter” in Norway, Equinor, has a “pink badge” and gets the opportunity to be in the room, but not civil society. – I think it is very undemocratic and shocking that Norway has arranged for that, says Åsnes. Equinor and Norsk Hydro do not agree with the criticism, read the answer further down in the article. – Attention-grabbing Norway has an official business pavilion at COP28 this year, which the government’s Innovation Norway is behind. Among others, Norwegian Equinor – one of the world’s largest oil companies – participates here. It has caused strong reactions. The Norwegian business delegation in place in Dubai. To participate, the companies must pay NOK 400,000 per delegation place. Photo: Eivind Molde / news – It is startling to say the least, because Equinor invests vanishingly little in renewable energy and has shown little willingness to change, says Inga Fritzen Buan, senior adviser for international climate policy at the WWF World Wide Fund for Nature. Innovation Norway took a non-comprehending view of the criticism in Dagsnytt 18, and believes that business will be absolutely crucial to achieving the world’s climate goals. – Many of the companies say that they are here to show off new technological solutions for green conversion such as carbon capture and storage, but we are not convinced, says Buan. When you let in thousands of representatives of the fossil fuel industry, who earn enormous sums from destroying the climate, you undermine the very purpose of a climate summit, says Elena Buan in WWF. Photo: Geir Barstein / WWF World Wide Fund for Nature There is a lot of pressure on COP28 to be able to deliver something concrete on the phasing out of oil and gas. WWF believes that this is one of the reasons why more and more “fossil lobbyists” are present at climate summits. – It goes without saying that the fossil fuel industry is feeling the pressure and is seriously starting to fear that the adopted climate policy will have major consequences for the industry, says Buan. – Making the negotiations more demanding Norway has two agendas during this year’s climate summit: financing climate measures, and conveying that Norwegian oil and gas policy will be important in the energy mix in the world going forward. WWF believes that Equinor’s participation in the climate summit is merely an extension of the strategy from Norway, and that the presence of the “fossil lobbyists” slows down progress and makes the climate negotiations more demanding. – The fossil fuel lobbyists are trying to weaken the ambitions for the energy transition and water down the formulations that go towards the phasing out of fossil energy. It also weakens confidence in the climate negotiations, says Buan. A climate activist displays a poster with the text “End fossil fuels” during a climate demonstration in Dubai. Photo: AFP Equinor does not agree with the criticism. – Equinor is at COP28 to participate in the global dialogue on climate policy, but we are also there to present measures. Our industry has the capital and expertise required to get us through the energy transition, says Sissel Rinde, information director at Equinor. Equinor mentions three measures they are contributing to during COP28: Increasing the ambitions of national oil and gas companies and helped shape the presidency’s Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (OGDC) initiative, and encouraged national oil companies to participate in the initiative. 25 million dollars and expertise to the World Bank’s methane fund to help others reduce their methane emissions. Supports the presidency’s ambition to triple renewable capacity by 2030. Norsk Hydro does not agree with the criticism either, and says it is participating in the climate meeting to show how it can achieve the climate goals and “share it” with others. – Norwegian industry is a world leader in many areas. Since 1990, we have cut 55 per cent of the CO2 emissions from aluminum production at our Norwegian works, while at the same time increasing aluminum production by 70 per cent. We will continue towards zero emissions, says Halvor Molland, director of information at Norsk Hydro. What is the climate summit, and what will happen this year
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Record number of oil lobbyists at COP28 – news – Klima
