COP29: Mary Robinson leads fight against fossil fuel firms as campaigners demand 'payback'
Fossil fuels are in the spotlight again as COP29 gets under way in Azerbaijan
What do ex-Irish president Mary Robinson, a Hollywood director and a Star Wars actor all have in common? They’re all angry that the companies fuelling climate collapse are "getting off scot-free" and that it's "payback time" for fossil fuel firms at COP29.
Elders leader Mary Robinson, Hollywood director Adam McKay, Star Wars actress Rosario Dawson, musicians Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins, prominent climate activists including Vanessa Nakate, Kumi Naidoo and Luisa Neubauer are all supporting the new Global Witness campaign demanding that polluters be made to pay.
It follows the international NGOs takeover of COP29.com in a bid to unite the millions demanding climate justice and that big oil pays for its role in causing the climate crisis.
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Talks at this year’s UN climate summit are largely focused on funding to help poorer countries reduce their emissions, adapt with the likes of flood defences and cover the cost of losses and damage caused by the climate crisis.
It is estimated that $5-6 trillion will be needed up to 2030 to cover those costs - but just $702 million has been raised through voluntary contribution to the loss & damage fund which Eamon Ryan led negotiations on last year.
So those backing "payback time" demand that fossil fuel firms pay up like countries, given they raked in $4 trillion in pre-tax profits in 2022 alone and are still getting billions in fossil fuel subsidies.
Robinson said: “People need money to rebuild and adapt to our increasingly extreme climate. But right now the oil and gas companies fuelling climate collapse are getting away scot-free – making immense profits from products they have known for decades would harm the planet. It’s high time we made them pay up.”
Alice Harrison, Head of Fossil Fuel Campaigning at Global Witness, added: “We’ve taken over COP29.com to demand that Big Oil finally pays for the climate crisis it helped create.
“From super-charged hurricanes and record-breaking heat, to devastating floods, we’re seeing the catastrophic effects of fossil fuel emissions all around us. It’s time to end this injustice and make fossil fuel companies pay for the damage they’ve done. We need trillions of dollars and these are some of the richest companies on the planet - they can afford to pay.”
Indigenous climate activist, Luana, has told how her community was impacted by devastating floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
She said: “Everyone is afraid of the rain now, and all four seasons can happen on the same day. It’s the big companies who are responsible. They are largely to blame for global warming and climate change, so they should pay more, right?”
Global Witness said it was able to acquire the COP29.com site thanks to the principled actions of its previous owners – an Indian couple who used the domain for their family business.
Although they were offered a significant sum by Azerbaijan’s COP29 team for the site, these small business owners were worried about climate breakdown, and so decided to let Global Witness have it instead.
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