A new report by the Global Carbon Project finds greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels soared to a new record high this year, with carbon dioxide releases approaching nearly 41 billion metric tons. Despite dire warnings over the rapid acceleration of the climate crisis, humanity has burned coal, oil and gas at a faster pace in 2023 than it did last year.

Here in Dubai, a new analysis finds nearly 2,500 fossil fuel lobbyists have been credentialed to attend this year’s COP28 United Nations climate talks. That’s nearly four times as many industry lobbyists as attended last year’s COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. This is Drue Slatter of the group Pacific Climate Warrior speaking during a COP28 event on Monday. 

Drue Slatter: “We can achieve a phaseout of fossil fuels. We can achieve 100% renewable energy. We can achieve a fair and efficient finance package for the energy transition in the Pacific. But the obscene number of big polluters at these climate negotiations threatens that. In Glasgow, fossil fuel lobbyists outnumbered Pacific delegates 12 to one. If I’m not wrong, last year the number rose to 15 to one. And the number this year is expected to be even higher.”

Later in the broadcast, we’ll speak with Rachel Rose Jackson, the director of climate research and policy at Corporate Accountability, part of the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition, which authored the report, “Record number of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP28.”