More than 225 organizations and networks from around the world have signed a letter calling on the UNFCCC’s COP30 Presidency to stop inviting the world’s largest polluters to the climate negotiation table, as reported this morning in Climate Home News. The letter responds to the COP30 President Designate’s recent public communication framing the upcoming U.N. climate talks in Belém, Brazil as “the Defining Business Opportunity of Our Time” and calling on business leaders to join the upcoming climate talks in November.
The signatories–which include members of the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition and collectively represent millions of people around the world, warn that inviting corporations without explicit protections against greenwashing and conflicts of interest undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the UN climate body. This comes at a critical moment when the UNFCCC has no meaningful measures in place to ensure its policymaking isn’t compromised by private interests that contradict the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
“For decades, corporate interests – particularly from the fossil fuel industry – have systematically sabotaged climate progress through aggressive lobbying, disinformation, and glossy PR campaigns,” said Tasneem Essop, from Climate Action Network–a network of more than 1,900 civil society organizations and a member of the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition. “The halls of COP have become marketing playgrounds for the very industries driving the crisis, while Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities face barriers to meaningful participation.”
The letter criticizes the unrestricted invitation to business as “removed from the reality that polluting businesses, and their enablers, are directly responsible for the climate crisis.” In addition, it highlights the concerning nature of the COP30 team’s partnership with a PR company that simultaneously promotes the interests of major oil and gas companies, illustrating the deep conflict of interest at the heart of climate diplomacy. Signatories are calling for an immediate end to this arrangement, and for protection measures to be put in place to ensure that COP30 is not undermined by the fossil fuel industry and other polluting industries.
“In addition to environmental pollution and direct violations, large corporations pollute COPs,” said KBPO member Leticia Tura, Executive Director FASE, Brazil. “It is urgent to limit their participation in COPs, strengthen cooperation for climate justice, and impose effective sanctions against crimes committed against territories and their peoples.”
Signatories are demanding four specific commitments from the COP30 Presidency:
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A polluter-free COP with no corporate sponsorship from polluting corporations.
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A polluter-free Presidency with no leadership roles for those with ties to polluters, including ending the partnership with Edelman PR firm.
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The advancement of an Accountability Framework to protect climate negotiations from industries with a history of undermining climate action to protect their profit.
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Action to protect against the commodification of nature, particularly safeguarding the Amazon rainforest.
“Despite claims that this is a historic year for pursuing a just transition, environmental justice groups and communities continue to be excluded from COP30 while polluters get a front-row seat,” said Fernando Tormos-Aponte of Just Transition Alliance. “There can be no just transition without the groups impacted by the climate crisis and our efforts to address it.”
The letter builds on a joint call issued earlier this year by over 200 organizations to reform the UN Climate Talks, including ending the corporate trade show and protecting negotiations from corporate capture.