Fossil fuel lobbyists want us to think they've changed their spots, but their proposed climate solutions are often ineffective or loaded with greenwashing.
Have you seen a dormouse recently? What about a tree frog, or a turtledove?
These creatures and millions more like them are disappearing before our eyes. They are all victims of one common predator – a single animal which, even as it grows in numbers and strength, has become the hardest to spot of all.
Unless we can eliminate this invasive species,
any hope of climate action is doomed.
The Fossil Fuel Lobbyist is evolving. Fast.
The Fossil Fuel Lobbyist is a vicious predator which has been trashing its environment for centuries. But if you were hoping that the Age of Climate Action would drive it to extinction, we’ve got bad news.
Under pressure, it has found news ways to adapt to a changing world. New disguises, new hunting grounds, and a whole new set of defences.
1. What does a Fossil Fuel Lobbyist look like?
This species is a master of camouflage.Adept at mimicry and distraction, they adapt to a changing world by disguising themselves as think tanks, political advisors, citizens groups and even clean energy businesses!
Some have evolved a new green coat, but don’t be fooled – this is for display only. Underneath they are the same oily black as always.
2. Where can you find them?
The Fossil Fuel Lobbyist is an invasive species – and it is spreading fast.
As the world becomes less friendly to their traditional way of life, they have moved aggressively into new territories.
From the corridors of power to the reels of Instagram, their oily traces have been found everywhere.
In recent years, they have even been seen prowling climate conferences in their thousands. In 2023, Global Witness counted a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP28, where they numbered nearly 2,500.
3. How are Fossil Fuel Lobbyist tactics evolving?
Fossil Fuel Lobbyists have developed many new strategies to survive a more hostile world, including:
The carbon capture con
The most seductive mating call of the Fossil Fuel Lobbyist is carbon capture and storage – the promise that the world can have its cake and eat it.
The truth is that this song is too good to be true. CCS is just a trick to make oil companies appear harmless. Meanwhile, they extract even more oil and gas – and then abandon the "capture" project down the line.
Ask yourself: for a fifty-year-old technology, why are there only 41 operational CCS projects in the entire world today, capturing just 0.1% of the world’s emissions each year?
Even though governments and companies have poured $83 billion into the technology, 80% of CCS projects worldwide have been dead-end failures.
The hydrogen sidestep
Fossil Fuel Lobbyists have been seen working hard to convince the world they are now “clean hydrogen” creatures.
They are also pushing hard for hydrogen to be used for home heating. But this is nothing more than a clever strategy to allow them to continue their current business – running polluting gas networks.
So-called “blue” hydrogen for heating is produced with fossil gas – which means profits for oil companies (and pollution for the rest of us).
Heating the UK’s homes with genuine “green” hydrogen is currently impossible – it would require 13 to 24 times the energy produced by all our offshore wind farms!
The great biomass vanishing act
One of the most cunning tricks of the fossil fuel lobbyist is to pretend they are now a renewable species.
Biomass, for example, is lauded as carbon-neutral green fuel. In reality, however, burning wood for electricity can emit more CO2 than burning coal. It also harms the world’s most important carbon-capture system in the process – our forests.
What should I do if I find a Fossil Fuel Lobbyist in my area?
Avoid these dangerous creatures at all cost!
Report all sightings to your local climate defence group. We need your help to drive this dangerous species to extinction.