Overview
- An analysis by the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition identified 1,602 fossil fuel–affiliated attendees at the Belém summit, estimating that one in 25 participants represents industry interests and that the share is higher than in recent COPs due to lower overall attendance.
- The fossil fuel contingent exceeds the size of every country’s delegation except host Brazil, which registered 3,805 delegates.
- Affiliations cited include 148 linked to the International Chamber of Commerce, 60 to the International Emissions Trading Association with delegates from ExxonMobil, BP and TotalEnergies, and 41 to Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry.
- Several governments included industry figures in official delegations, including France with 22 representatives such as the TotalEnergies CEO and Norway with six Equinor executives.
- The ICC disputed the interpretation of its headcount, the UNFCCC pointed to 2023 transparency measures and noted governments decide delegation makeup, and KBPO says roughly 7,000 fossil-linked delegates have attended COPs over the past five years.