Industrial Agriculture Lobbyists Dominate UN Climate Talks

(MENAFN) Over 300 lobbyists representing industrial agriculture were present at this year’s UN climate conference in the Brazilian Amazon, a region where the sector is the primary driver of deforestation, according to a recent investigation published by The Guardian on Tuesday.

“More than 300 agribusiness lobbyists occupy the space at COP30 that should belong to the forest peoples. While they talk about energy transition, they release oil into the Amazon basin and privatize rivers like the Tapajos for soy. For us, this is not development; it is violence,” Vandria Borari of the Borari Kuximawara Indigenous Association of the Alter do Chao territory in the Lower-Tapajos region of Para, Brazil, told The Guardian.

The conference took place in Belem, also known as the Metropolis of the Brazilian Amazon, where deforestation is largely driven by agricultural expansion.

This year’s contingent of lobbyists grew by 14% compared to the previous year and represented interests including industrial cattle ranching, commodity grain production, and pesticide manufacturers.

This group of lobbyists outnumbered Canada’s official delegation of 220 participants, according to a collaborative investigation by DeSmog and The Guardian.

Furthermore, one out of every four prominent agriculture lobbyists at COP30 is formally part of a national delegation, with six enjoying special access to UN negotiations where countries are expected to develop ambitious policies aimed at preventing global climate disaster.

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