COP28 becomes UN's largest climate summit

COP28 has officially become United Nation’s largest-ever climate summit with 80,000 participants registered on a list that shows who they work for. Before this year, participants were not required to disclose which organisations they represent, making it difficult to detect lobbyists and identify negotiators’ potential conflicts of interest. Some 104,000 people, including technical and security staff, have access this year to the “blue zone” dedicated to the actual climate negotiations and the pavilions of the states and organisations present. Last year, the COP27 held in Egypt saw 49,000 accredited attendees while oil and gas lobbyists outnumbered most national delegations, as per some NGOs. This year, there are nearly 23,500 people from official government teams. These teams are accompanied by 27,208 policy experts, academics, representatives of professional organisations and senior company executives from oil giants. However, these guests do not have access to negotiations as the official delegates. Among the host country’s guests are Bill Gates and Antoine Arnault, the son of LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, the second richest man in the world after Elon Musk, according to Forbes magazine. The accreditations list also includes more than 14,000 non-governmental organisations, ranging from environmental groups to industry lobbyists. In June, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said fossil fuel companies must “cease influence peddling and legal threats designed to kneecap progress” towards preventing the planet’s climate from spinning out of control. And organisers say some 400,000 people have registered to get a day pass to the vast “green zone” around the talks on the site of the Dubai Expo 2020, which has been turned into huge fair showcasing businesses and environmental innovation.