Infiltrate and Intimidate: Big Polluters in the Climate Talks

How countries that created the climate change problem are bullying other nations.

Would you ever trust a fox to guard a hen house? What would you say if you found out that a beer company was to sponsor an Alcoholics’ Anonymous program or that the welfare of poachers was taken into account while drafting wildlife conservation policies? All of these seem like counterintuitive strategies, surefire ways to fail the task at hand – something that does not happen often in a sane world.

And yet, all of these scenarios aptly describe the nature of the paradoxical relationship between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – an international environment treaty that combats climate change – and the Big Polluters, ie major transnational fossil fuel companies and energy utilities from the Global North who are among the largest emitters of greenhouse gas (GHG).

The conflicts of interest between the Big Polluters and the UNFCCC are intrinsic and incorrigible: To mitigate against climate change, this treaty aims to encourage economies to divest from fossil fuel based energy systems and direct all manpower, capacity and funds towards renewables. However, this directly threatens the bottom lines of polluting corporations. Yet, despite such fundamental differences – even contradictions – between their vested interests, Big Polluters have been allowed into the halls of the UNFCCC, ever since the treaty came into effect more than 20 years ago.

These polluting industries have a history of using their deep pockets to influence policymakers and intimidate delegates during the annual Conference of Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC. Outside such conventions, they  form intimate financial relationships with government officials and influential figures who then look out for their vested interests during national and international policy making – this effectively hinders climate action.

Despite such extensive ties and despite studies tangibly showing that such associations have grossly undermined national and global climate policy and action, no steps have been taken by the UNFCCC to neutralise – or even acknowledge – their toxic presence.

After decades of oppressive silence in the issue, however, during the last climate negotiations, a coalition of Parties to the Conference  – representing more than 70% of the countries, mostly from the Global South – broke their silence on the issue and demanded that such conflicts of interests be addressed  and actions be taken to contain them. However, after they were ignored – and even silenced – on the issue by leaders of the Global North, the coalition has vowed to bring up the issue again during COP22, this week.

The Many Avatars of the Big Polluters

Despite such growing consensus among the majority of the world’s population, that Big Polluters need to be booted from the policy making arena, they still wield substantial influence and power inside and outside the halls of the UNFCCC. This unrelenting presence can mostly be attributed to the multiple masks these polluters don on to fool the public, intimidate weak countries and gain influence with policymakers and powerful nations.

During last year’s COP21 in Paris, for example, some of the most polluting companies of Europe, including Engie and Électricité de France (EDF) – two companies responsible for half of France's emission – were chosen, along with other such industries, to be the corporate sponsors to the event. By funding such a highly anticipated climate gathering – and through various false public relations (PR) campaigns – these carbon-intensive industries were able to present themselves as climate champions even as they made no substantial changes to their polluting business models, whatsoever.

In fact, over the years, they have used their monetary muscle to hide their climate crimes and influence policies to serve their interest. For example, the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) – which was formulated during COP20 –recognises various corporations, including fossil fuel industries, as stakeholders during the policy-making process. This has directly enabled the most seasoned of polluters to weaken, or altogether derail, any substantial progress against their products, ie: dirty energy.

Often these emission-intensive industries and their lobbyists have been known to interfere inside the COP by gaining access as government delegates or by forming various ties with various trade associations and business groups that are accredited at the UNFCCC. In fact, a recent analysis by Corporate Accountability International (CAI) shows how pervasively and easily polluting industries can access and influence climate change negotiation: Through such accredited observers, industries lobby to block any divestment from their polluting energy systems.

For example, according to the report by CAI, the World Coal Association – which is an accredited observer in the halls of the UNFCCC – covertly lobbies for the interests of some of the largest coal polluters like BHP Hilton, Peabody Energy and Rio Tinto.  On the other hand, Business Europe – another accredited observer – represents the interests of polluting fossil fuel and gas industries like BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Total.

There is no doubt that the Big Polluters – despite their sordid climate histories – have pervasive reach in all aspects of the annual climate conferences. Conferences that climate vulnerable countries, mostly from the Global South, rely on to come up with effective climate solutions. But the influence of such money-hungry, polluting corporations has destroyed the sanctity of these conventions – because it is like ‘a fox guarding a hen house’, analogises CAI.

Their pervasive presence, throughout the lifespan of the UNFCCC, has paralysed climate action for many crucial years – time that we could have used to avoid the worst of the effects of climate change.  To ensure that the upcoming COPs  (including the one in Marrakech less than a week away) can effectively serve their function, all associations with such fossil fuel industries must be broken – whether as sponsors, stakeholders or observers. Polluters should be thrown out of such important policy making arenas so that the world can have a chance to arrest the rising temperatures and rectify the damage that has already been done.

(Sneha Pandey is freelance journalist from Nepal, and a Climate Trackers fellow. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)