Welcome back to Connect the Dots, a monthly newsletter from ClimateVoice focused on the connection between companies, influence, and climate policy.
This month we’re excited to dig into the upcoming United Nations Climate Conference, COP28. Read on for how companies can use their voice to lead in advocating for authentic climate policy action at speed and scale, and avoid being complicit with the fossil fuel agenda that threatens to co-opt meaningful progress.
Action Items
Share this LinkedIn post calling for companies and COP delegates to move at the speed and scale required in order to meet international climate goals, and to not pander to fossil fuel and other special interest groups who may obstruct progress behind the scenes.
Urge your company to lead and seize the opportunity of COP28 to vocally support the strongest possible climate action and policy progress, while also calling out hypocrisy and misalignments at play.
Tune in to what your company does at COP and be prepared to celebrate bold leadership, or to hold accountable action that falls short.
The Big Picture
COP is Being Co-Opted by Oil and Gas
Every year since 1995, the majority of the world’s countries gather for what’s known as the Conference of Parties (COP) to discuss the climate crisis and negotiate commitments to action. In addition to heads of state and government representatives, the conference has increasingly drawn civil society and corporate actors to join in discussing global solutions. Read here for a great explainer.
This year marks the 28th meeting, taking place from November 30 – December 12th. With exceedingly high stakes and very poor optics, the stage is set for quite a dramatic assembly.
First, the stakes. The science on climate change has been clear for decades, but the past year has increasingly brought the consequences into public view. In the U.S., record heat, raging wildfires, flooding, and severe storms have all become the new norm. Meanwhile, the leading scientific body on climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released a major new report in March laying out the devastating consequences that human-driven emission of carbon dioxide has caused. However, with a crisis there is also opportunity to act swiftly to avert further devastating impacts – and COP28 presents just this moment.
Now, the optics. Much of this comes down to where the event is being hosted, and who is leading negotiations. COP28 is taking place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a country whose economy is deeply steeped in oil and gas. Further, the entire conference will be led by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who in addition to being the country’s climate envoy is also the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). This choice of host nation and COP president gives the fossil fuel industry much more than a seat at the table, it allows them to run the entire show. Many environmental groups have mounted protests against the decision since it was announced and scandals continue to mount. It is not only conflicts of interest over climate action that are troubling, but also the country’s record on human rights.
The Nitty Gritty
Companies Are Key, But Risk Complicity
It is under these conditions that the private sector will gather at COP28. Like previous years, many companies will be attending. Their presence is important, as the private sector is key to solving the climate crisis and can bring strong solutions and partnerships to the table.
BUT – the risk is high for them to be complicit in the co-opting of the conference underway by the fossil fuel industry.
Like we’ve said many times, individual corporate actions fall flat if they aren’t accompanied by vigorous and consistent leadership on policy advocacy. Too often pro-climate companies’ influence is drowned out by fossil fuel interests, whether through participation in obstructive trade associations, direct opposition to critical climate policies, or outright absence from the discussion. This dynamic is bad when it plays out day by day domestically, but it would be even more terrible should it happen on the global stage.
The massively obstructive U.S. Chamber of Commerce will be sending a large delegation to COP. Based on the organization’s actions at home, and the Chamber’s unfortunate lobbying record in alignment with American Petroleum Institute and American Gas Association, it is clear whose interests the group will be representing in Dubai. U.S. Chamber member companies – such as Google, Salesforce, Meta, and many others – should take this moment as an opportunity to speak out against this obstructive track record, and demand greater and more authentic climate policy leadership. For example, will U.S. Chamber board member Microsoft do anything to counter this harmful influence? Remaining silent on the matter equals complicity with the co-opting of the conference by the fossil fuel industry agenda.
For a Deeper Dive
How to Show Up and Lead
There are many things that companies sending delegations to COP can do to truly lead on climate.
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- Use “podium moments” to call for meaningful policy solutions. Companies have a powerful megaphone and should use it in support of the strongest possible climate action and policy progress, while also being clear where they disagree with their trade associations on climate. Companies should avoid speeches full of self-congratulation, instead discussing accomplishments in the context of what remains to be done, and the urgency to get there.
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- Look out for and speak up against special interests that may be dominating the discourse. This could include:
- Making strong statements in support of a rapid and just transition towards a renewable energy future.
- Being on the lookout for and speaking up against delay tactics or overly incremental proposals for solutions.
- Speaking up against trade association policy obstruction, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s climate policy positions – and ask for stronger climate leadership from trade associations, especially those with a presence at COP28 (such as the U.S. Chamber who is sending a delegation.)
- Look out for and speak up against special interests that may be dominating the discourse. This could include:
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- Join powerful initiatives to align corporate calls to action with what the science says is necessary. Urge your company to sign onto the Fossil to Clean corporate sign on letter ahead of COP28, calling on national governments to address the primary cause of climate change: the burning of fossil fuels. As of publication, over 130 companies with a combined revenue of nearly $1 trillion have signed to urge governments to ramp up clean energy at pace, and to phase out the use and production of fossil fuels. It is vital to send a pre-COP28 message that sets the foundation to transform the global energy system towards a full phase-out of fossil fuels and to triple global renewable electricity capacity.
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- Make room for other voices. Companies are important players at COP, but many other, less privileged, groups deserve a seat at the table. Environmental justice isn’t just a phrase to be tossed around, but a continuous practice. Companies could insist that marginalized groups be represented at events where the companies are featured, and provide support to ensure that groups can afford to send people and have multiple and diverse perspectives heard.
In addition to how companies show up at COP, consistent and credible behavior “at home” remains key. Recently, a number of leading companies including Microsoft, Apple, Google, Dignity Health, IKEA, and Salesforce weighed in in support of a recent bill in California passed on October 7th that will require large corporations to report their greenhouse gas emissions. This leadership is critical, and we hope this conviction is carried through to COP and beyond.
Coming soon...
Our team will be busy monitoring outcomes at COP and continuing to rally critical employee voices to encourage companies to LEAD on climate change. Look for the next issue of Connect the Dots in the New Year.
Have a specific question about Responsible Corporate Advocacy that you’d like us to address? Shoot your questions to us with subject line "Connect the Dots."