Fossil fuels lobby

The fossil fuels lobby includes paid representatives of corporations involved in the fossil fuel industry (oil, gas, coal), as well as related industries like chemicals, plastics, aviation and other transportation.^[1] Because of their wealth and the importance of energy, transport and chemical industries to local, national and international economies, these lobbies have the capacity and money to attempt to have outsized influence on governmental policy. In particular, the lobbies have been known to obstruct policy related to environmental protection, environmental health and climate action.^[2]

Lobbies are active in most fossil-fuel intensive economies with democratic governance, with reporting on the lobbies most prominent in Canada, Australia, the United States and Europe, however the lobbies are present in many parts of the world. Big Oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, Chevron Corporation, and ConocoPhillips are among the largest corporations associated with the fossil fuels lobby.^[3] The American Petroleum Institute is a powerful industry lobbyist for Big Oil with significant influence in Washington, D.C.^[4][5][6] In Australia, Australian Energy Producers, formerly known as the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), has significant influence in Canberra and helps to maintain favorable policy settings for Oil and Gas.^[7]

The presence of major fossil fuel companies and national oil companies at global forums for decision making, like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,^[8] Paris Climate Agreement negotiations,^[8] and United Nations Climate Change conferences has been criticised.^[9] The lobby is known for exploiting international crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic,^[10] or the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,^[11][12] to try to roll back existing regulations or justify new fossil fuel development.^[10][11] Lobbyists try to retain fossil fuel subsidies.^[13]