A new report has revealed that more than 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access to the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil. This means one in every 25 participants represents the fossil fuel industry.
The figure is higher than almost every country’s delegation, except the host nation, Brazil, which has more than 3,800 delegates.
The findings come from the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition, which reviews the official participant list every year.
According to the group, this year’s number marks a 12 per cent increase from COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and is the highest number of fossil fuel lobbyists seen at any COP so far.
The report shows fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber delegates from the Philippines nearly 50 to 1, even as the country faces destructive typhoons.
They sent 40 times more representatives than Jamaica, which is still recovering from Hurricane Melissa.
Their presence exceeds the combined total of all delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, who together sent 1,061 people.
Major industry groups continue to play a big role. The International Emissions Trading Association alone brought 60 people, including staff from ExxonMobil, BP, and TotalEnergies.
KBPO also found that 599 lobbyists entered using “Party overflow” badges, which allow behind-the-scenes access to negotiation rooms.
Some governments included fossil fuel representatives directly in their official delegations, with France bringing 22, including five from TotalEnergies.
Japan included 33 fossil fuel representatives, Norway added 17, including senior executives from its national oil and gas giant, Equinor.
Climate activists say the growing industry presence is undermining global climate action.
Jax Bongon of IBON International in the Philippines said it is “common sense that you cannot solve a problem by giving power to those who caused it.”
He added that communities dealing with storms, floods, droughts, and heatwaves are being ignored while big polluters gain influence.
Some KBPO members linked fossil fuel companies to global violence, including the ongoing crisis in Palestine.
Ana Sánchez of Global Energy Embargo for Palestine said the fossil fuel industry and military actions abroad are “two sides of the same coin of destruction.”
COP30 is expected to be an “Implementation COP,” where countries move from planning to real action under the Paris Agreement.
However, activists say the strong industry presence threatens progress and makes it harder to push for strong climate commitments.
This year, for the first time, all non-government participants must publicly disclose who is funding their attendance. But the rule does not apply to people entering with government badges.