Protests continue: Rivers and canals in Italy dyed green
In cities like Rome, Milan, Venice, Turin, and Bologna, rivers and canals have been tinted green by climate activists. This dramatic action is a protest against what they perceive as insufficient solutions proposed at the ongoing COP28 climate conference.
4:07 PM EST, December 10, 2023
The protest is spearheaded by the Extinction Rebellion movement. Its representatives explain in a statement that they aim to highlight "another political failure of COP28 and global governments in tackling the climate crisis". It is worth noting that at least 2,456 lobbyists associated with fossil fuel industries are attending the COP28 climate summit.
The statement from Extinction Rebellion continues, "In a few hours, these waters will return to their previous state. Meanwhile, as governmental debates continue, we are counting the losses and victims of relentless floods and fires". The activists have offered photos and other materials as part of their protest, symbolized by the slogan in Milan: "The government says, the Earth is sinking".
About COP28
The 28th Conference of the Signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, condensed to COP28, is happening in Dubai. As noted earlier, at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists are attending the conference— a fact revealed by The Guardian.
Data uncovered by climate activists from the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) organization raise further questions about the fossil fuel industry's influence on this year's UN summit, led by the CEO of the UAE's national oil company, Sultan al-Jaber - as reported by The Guardian.
The spotlight is on the unprecedented influence of the oil and gas industry in Dubai, seeing as the number of industry-associated lobbyists is nearly four times larger than those who registered for COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Contrastingly, about 500 fossil fuels-related delegates attended COP26 in Glasgow.
Lobbyists advocating for oil and gas corporations like Shell, Total, and ExxonMobil outnumber nearly all national delegations, surpassed only by Brazil (3081), set to host COP30 in 2025, and the host country, registering 4,409 participants.
The UN has imposed strict registration procedures this year, requiring attendees to explicitly disclose their affiliations.
Rumors abound that ongoing discussions on phasing out fossil fuels are making headway. However, the industry's lobbyists are here to sway their outcome to their advantage, notes George Carew-Jones of KBPO.
COP28's chairperson, Jaber, is a contentious figure. He is not only the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the UAE but also the President of the state oil giant ADNOC. The BBC reports that Jaber intended to use the climate conference in Dubai to seal oil and gas contracts with 15 countries, though he has since denied these reports.
