COP17: In whose interests?

On, the penultimate day of the Durban climate talks, I joined other climate justice allies at what became one of COP17’s most theatrical press conferences yet. Organised by the Climate Justice Now coalition, allies from across the world took this opportunity to give their analysis of the conference so far, making it clear they felt ignored by the governments who are supposed to represent them. Des D’Sa from the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance gave a damning description of how the talks have failed the people of the world: “There have been discussions taking place in closed doors by those in power, who have colleagues in the corporate world and the decisions are not in the interests of mankind.”

after, Uncle Sam and his corporate clowns from Occupy COP17 took to the stage. Throughout COP17, these clowns have appeared around the conference highlighting the way corporate capture at the UN talks – from the World Climate Summit  (which, running alongside the conference "provides a platform for market interaction across business, governments and financiers to forge new profitable pathways for climate change and propel the necessary solutions needed to accelerate global green growth") to the International Emissions Trading Association side events, the clowns have turned up to expose some of the real intentions of many participants in these talks.  

style="color: #4d4d4f;">Shortly after the press conference, I was sat having coffee with Lidy from Jubilee South Asia Pacific. We were discussing what we could do if plans for a ‘private sector facility’ within the Green Climate Fund are agreed when the talks conclude tomorrow. Lidy is very concerned that if the fund, which she has been campaigning for for a long time, is agreed in its current form, it would put the interests of profit before people. It would enable corporations to have access funds that are supposed to help people cope with climate change, something that would most likely lead to more disastrous projects like the World Bank's La Mata and La Ventosa wind park in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

As we talked, Lindsey, a radical climate activist from the US who set up GEAR, came rushing up to us, clearly furious. Shortly after the press conference, she told us, ‘Uncle Sam’ from the press conference had been thrown out of the conference centre and had his accreditation removed for the way he had represented the US government. In spite of the huge resources of the US government, there is still clear concern that the real agendas in these talks will be exposed if civil society is allowed to speak uncensored. And when you look at how many corporations are registered to be part of these talks, just some of which are listed below, it is easy to see why.  

Corporations registered at the UNFCCC COP17: 
 
Confederation of Indian Industry
Society of Indian Automobiles Manufacturers
Tata Power
Environmental Markets Association
ICF International
TransCanada Corporation
EURELECTRIC
Electricité de France
E.ON UK
Danish Energy Association
Fortum Corporation
Energy Norway
European Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Deutsche Telekom AG
FutureCamp GmbH
National Australia Bank
Deutsche Bank AG
Fauna and Flora International
Macquarie Bank
Federation of Electric Power Companies
Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc.
Japan Business Federation
Electric Power Development Co. Ltd.
Chubu Electric Power Company
The Kansai Electric Power Company
Federation of German Industries
BMW Group
Hitachi Power Europe GmbH
Siemens AG
Robert Bosch GmbH
German Emissions Trading Association
EcoSecurities
Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute Ltd
Global CCS Institute
Global Wind Energy Council
GE Renewables
Vestas
REN21
Suzlon Energy Limited
Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership
ENEL
Duke Energy Corporation
International Air Transport Association
Association of European Airlines
British Airways
Bombardier inc.
Airbus
BAA Ltd
United Airlines
Airlines Association of Southern Africa
International Chamber of Commerce
SASOL
ESKOM
Brinkman & Associates (Canadian tree planting company)
Arkema S.A.
AREVA
Exxon Mobil Corporation
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Alstom Power
United States Council for International Business
Angloamerican
International Climate Change Partnership
Intel Corporation
International Council for Mining and Metals
African Rainbow Minerals
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd.
Rio Tinto plc
Chamber of Mines of SA
BHP Billiton
Harmony Gold
Xstrata Coal South Africa
Gold Fields Ltd
Lonmin Platinum
International Emissions Trading Association
Morgan Stanley UK Limited
Shell International Limited
Norsk Hydro ASA
ENDESA Energía S.A.
DNV
GreenStream Network Ltd
KPMG
EON AG
Vattenfall AB
Tricorona
ENEL
STATOIL
Statkraft AS
Alstom Power
ERM
Camco
Macleod Dixon LLP
PriceWaterhouseCoopers - Australia
JP Morgan Chase Bank
KDF Energy
Natsource LLC
Natixis Environment and Infrastructures
Hunton and Williams LLP
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Mitsubishi Corporation
Point Carbon
Deloitte
Alstom Power
Noble Carbon Credits GmbH
Statkraft AS
Eneco Energy Trade
DNV Antwerp, Belgium
CDC Climat
Deutsche Bank AG
Repsol
Eneco
EON AG
GreenStream Network Ltd
Gazprom
KDF Energy
ORBEO
Noble Carbon Credits GmbH
PointCarbon
ERM
AENOR
Vattenfall AB
GreenStream Network Ltd
Green Resources
SGS United Kingdom
IDEA Carbon
International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association
Chevron Corporation
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Total
British Petroleum Company
Japan Economic Research Institute
Development Bank of Japan
Keidanren
Komatsu Ltd.
Nippon Steel Corporation
JFE Steel Corporation
Toshiba Corporation
Think Tank SophiaBank
Japan Business Federation
Asahi Glass Co. Ltd.
Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Inc.
Sumitomi Metal Industries, LTD
Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
ITOCHU Corporation
ITOCHU Corporation
Mitsubishi Corporation
Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings
Japan Chemical Industry Association
The Japan Gas Association
Fujitsu Research Institute
Munich Climate Insurance Initiative
Microensure
Price Waterhouse Cooper
Munich Reinsurance Company
Munich Re Foundation
Project Developer Forum Ltd.
Tricorona
EcoSecurities
South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd
ORBEO
Mitsubishi Corporation
GDF Suez Energy Latin America
Climate Bridge Ltd.
C-Quest Capital
The AES Corporation
Mabanaft
The Climate Group
SunPower Corp.
Shandong Shengli Machinery Group
Broad Energy use Conpany
Top Resource Conservation Engineering Co.,Ltd
Director, Global Energy and Environment Policy
HP
UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Suzlon Energy Australia
Greenbank
World Business Council for Sustainable Development
DuPont
Mr. Damien Leonard
GDF Suez
Acciona Energía
ArcelorMittal
KPMG
EnviroMedia Social Marketing
Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch
CONCAMIN
Quimobasicos
Shell International
ENI
Holcim Group Support
Volkswagen AG
Veolia Environnement
Infosys Technologies Ltd.
L'Oréal
Deutsche Post DHL
American Electric Power
Alstom Power
Siemens AG
Dow Chemical Company
Det Norske Veritas
BMW Group
Novozymes A/S
Anglo American plc
Novozymes A/S
National Business Initiative
Mr. Godfrey Gomwe CEO of Anglo American and NBI
The Coca-Cola Company
ABI
SUEZ-Environnement
EURELECTRIC
Anglo American Platinum Ltd
Grundfos - Denmark
Statkraft AS
ESKOM
Accenture
BP plc
World Coal Association
Anglo American plc