Statement by Emilia Belliveau, Program Manager, Energy Transiton, Environmental Defence

Belém, Brazil – It is embarrassing that the governments of Alberta and Canada keep bringing fossil fuel lobbyists to the UN climate negotiations. It threatens the integrity of this conference to have individuals platformed by the Canada Pavilion who do so much back home to undermine climate policy. CAPP has a long history of fighting every possible climate policy proposed by the government, along with other environmental protections, so that it can profit from polluting with impunity.

We’ve seen the government of Alberta, along with other provinces, at previous COP negotiations use the conference as an opportunity to try and greenwash fossil fuel and extractive industries in Canada. That trend continues, but more and more often the other delegates here aren’t drinking the kool-aid. Yesterday, Kick Big Polluters Out released their report that found that fossil fuel lobbyists comprised 1 in 25 participants at this year’s COP climate summit, civil society organizations responded with immediate and resounding outrage.

The number of fossil fuel representatives outnumbered all the delegates from the 10 most climate vulnerable nations combined. Fossil fuel lobbyists have shown time and again that their presence here obstructs climate progress and blocks ambition. They should not be granted access to this space.

In the Alberta government, it’s hard to tell who is and who isn’t a fossil fuel lobbyist and Mr. McDonald exemplifies that. There’s a revolving door among the ranks of senior civil servants in the Energy and Environment departments between industry and government, which is part of Big Oil’s playbook. When the provincial Ministry of the Environment counts among its high-level staff individuals who have led the charge against measures that protect Alberta’s environment and Alberta’s responsibility for climate change mitigation, you know there is a systemic problem.

The government of Alberta’s priorities on climate change, or lack thereof, are abundantly clear: block the momentum of cheap, clean renewable energy, backtrack by reopening coal mining, and play cover for Canada’s most polluting industry, the tar sands. For them to bring that anti-climate bias to COPis an egregious slap in the face to the countries, communities, and ecosystems already being ravaged by climate disasters.

Background

• At the UN COP30 climate negotiations, Kick Big Polluters Out released their annual report tracking fossil fuel lobbyists participation in the conference. They report that more than 1600 fossil fuel lobbyists have been granted access, outnumbering every country’s delegation except the host Brazil. It means that one in every 25 participants represents fossil fuel industry interests.
• The Canada Pavilion at COP30 in Belem hosted an event on November 14th that included fossil fuel industry lobbyists. The panel included a representative from Tourmaline Oil Corp, Scott Volk, which is Canada’s largest fracking company. It also included Alberta Government representative Patrick McDonald, Assistant Deputy Minister of Air, Climate and Clean Technology. Before joining the ministry, McDonald spent seven years working as a lobbyist for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Alex Ross, Environmental Defence, media@environmentaldefence.ca

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