Analysis of Fossil Fuel Industry OPEC Disinformation Strategy at COP28

The briefing details a coordinated effort by the fossil fuel industry, OPEC, and the UAE to derail fossil fuel phase-out efforts at COP28 through greenwashing, the promotion of unproven technologies like CCS, and the use of fake social media accounts and lobbyists. It highlights how these tactics influenced the Global Stocktake text to avoid direct calls for a phase-out, instead emphasizing 'zero and low emissions technologies'.

• The fossil fuel industry and OPEC utilized a variety of tactics to stall climate negotiations, including greenwashing, distracting decision-makers, and presenting carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a 'silver bullet' for climate mitigation.
• The influence of the fossil fuel industry and OPEC is evident in the COP28 Global Stocktake text, which avoids a direct call to phase out fossil fuels and instead focuses on 'zero and low emissions technologies' and 'transition fuels'.
• The UAE government and its COP28 presidency employed extensive PR and digital strategies to manage its image, including hiring large PR firms, using Instagram influencers, and deploying thousands of fake social media accounts and bots to promote greenwashing narratives.
• Significant industry presence and lobbying occurred at COP28, with at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists admitted to the summit, 475 of whom specifically promoted carbon capture.

APA

Climate Action Against Disinformation (2023). Analysis of Fossil Fuel Industry OPEC Disinformation Strategy at COP28. https://caad.info/analysis/briefings/analysis-of-fossil-fuel-industry-opec-disinformation-strategy-at-cop28/

Chicago

Climate Action Against Disinformation. Analysis of Fossil Fuel Industry OPEC Disinformation Strategy at COP28. 2023. https://caad.info/analysis/briefings/analysis-of-fossil-fuel-industry-opec-disinformation-strategy-at-cop28/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Action Against Disinformation |title=Analysis of Fossil Fuel Industry OPEC Disinformation Strategy at COP28 |date=13 December 2023 |url=https://caad.info/analysis/briefings/analysis-of-fossil-fuel-industry-opec-disinformation-strategy-at-cop28/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateactionagainstdisinformation2023analysis, author = {{Climate Action Against Disinformation}}, title = {{Analysis of Fossil Fuel Industry OPEC Disinformation Strategy at COP28}}, institution = {Climate Action Against Disinformation}, year = {2023}, month = dec, url = {https://caad.info/analysis/briefings/analysis-of-fossil-fuel-industry-opec-disinformation-strategy-at-cop28/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }