Fossil fuel industries spent an estimated $213 million lobbying U.S. and European Union decision makers last year, according to a new report published by Oxfam International on Friday.
In the U.S. alone, the estimated 2013 bill for lobbying activities by fossil fuel interests amounted to $160 million, said the report called Food, Fossil Fuels and Filthy Finance.
In addition, the 40-page report said, the global fossil fuel sector receives approximately $1.9 trillion in subsidies each year.
“In the absence of robust climate legislation, finance continues to flow unabated into the fossil fuel industry,” the report said. “At the current rate of capital expenditure, the next decade will see over $6 trillion allocated to developing the fossil fuel industry.”
The world produces enough food to feed everyone, the report said, but every day more than 800 million people go to bed hungry.
“This is a scandal – and climate change is set to make things even worse,” the report added. “Fossil fuels are the single biggest driver of climate change; if the world is to avoid exceeding dangerous global warming of 2°C, up to 80 per cent of known fossil fuel reserves need to stay in the ground.”