At Least 132 Oil Executives Get Red-Carpet Treatment In Baku W. Host Country Event Badges [View all]

The host country of this year’s UN climate summit, Azerbaijan, has rolled out “red carpet” treatment to fossil fuel bosses and lobbyists, the Guardian can reveal. At least 132 oil and gas company senior executives and staff were invited to the Cop29 summit, and had special badges denoting they were guests of the presidency. That was equivalent to red-carpet treatment at a UN climate summit, Cop experts told the Guardian. Holders of the special host country badges include the head of Saudi oil company Aramco and the chief executive of BP.

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The holders of host country badges, according to an analysis of UN data seen by the Guardian, include Amin Nasser, the boss of the Saudi oil company Aramco, and nine others from his company. Saudi Arabia has long been accused of obstructing progress at Cops.

The single biggest beneficiary of the VIP treatment was another Saudi power company, ACWA, which has coal, gas and renewable assets. Its chief executive, Marco Arcelli, was accompanied by 24 of his staff.

BP’s chief executive, Murray Auchincloss, was also granted a host country pass, along with seven others from the company. BP has a long history in Azerbaijan and remains a key player in the petrostate’s oil and gas operations. Exxonmobil’s head, Darren Woods, and three staff also received the special invitations.

Many campaigners are angry at the presence of fossil fuel bosses and lobbyists at Cops. Dawda Cham, from Help-Gambia, an environmental NGO, said: “The fossil fuel industry has long manipulated climate negotiations to protect its interests while our planet burns. It’s time to sever these ties and ensure that the voices of the global south are amplified, not silenced. We must kick big polluters out of our climate conversations and make them pay.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/15/fossil-fuel-bosses-get-the-red-carpet-at-cop29-despite-concerns-over-influence