How Big Oil Is Hijacking The Climate Conference

In a stunning example of ‘green washing’, this year’s UN Climate Change Conference is going to be a bit different. The difference is, COP28 is being led by the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. If that wasn’t enough of a conflict of interest, the number of delegates from oil companies will outnumber the number of delegates from green energy, scientists, climate change advocates… you get the idea. Because of this, it would be safe to say this year’s COP conference will be a major turning point in the narrative of the climate debate. Like many things with multinational corporations and large systems, the general public won’t notice these changes, because they are being slowly introduced over time. <h1>How the COP Conference Works</h1> These conferences are supposed to be a process of negotiation and consensus-building among decision-makers who can affect the climate debate and also change industry outputs such as carbon footprints. Each COP conference involves multiple sessions and working groups, and each year, there is a rotating presidency where the host country oversees the proceedings. Whomever the host is can greatly affect the agenda, and therefore the narrative. At the core of any COP conference are the delegates. They are the bread and butter of how the conference functions. Each delegate not only represents a country, but they can also represent an organization or company. Their reason for being there is to serve a specific function, or one of several: <a href="https://medium.com/digital-diplomacy/how-big-oil-is-hijacking-the-climate-conference-1bdfed51272f">Learn More</a>