Who is the biggest NGO in Bali?

Is it Greenpeace? Is it WWF? The International Chamber of Commerce? I was surprised to discover that it is the lobbying group, International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).


With 336 representatives including lawyers, financiers, emissions traders, consultants, certifiers and emissions trading experts from companies like Shell, the ETA makes up 7.5% of the 4483 Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) delegates at the UN climate talks. This dwarfs even the largest environmental groups like WWF (2%) and Greenpeace (1.6%).

Emissions trading has been implicated in several scandals and has come under fire from campaigners for failing to deliver real cuts in emissions.

The fact that the International Emissions Trading Association is the biggest NGO in Bali is indicative of the massive expansion in this industry over the past few years, and the influence it will extend over the outcome of the talks.

This expansion and influence is based on the argument that it is cheaper, easier and more efficient to pay for emissions reductions in developing countries, whilst developed countries continue to pollute. This argument sounds fine in theory but in practice has been riddled with problems.

Making money out of the desire to tackle climate change is only legitimate if emissions are reduced, and if it works without unwanted side-affects. So far emissions trading has not proved it can deliver what is needed, yet governments will be lobbied heavily to expand trading by the growing number of companies that stand to make money from it.

These climate talks could set in stone a deal that lasts for years. It may be our last chance to get it right and governments cannot afford to put all their eggs in a basket full of holes.