Well, it’s that time of year again. I get the feeling that most sceptics are finding it difficult to maintain an angry face by now; the COPs have gone on so long, that they have long since ceased to be a source of outrage. Now they are so ridiculous as to be self-parodies, save that the ant-like delegates don’t see the joke.

A few years ago, I compiled a list of the number of attendees at each of the COPs; I failed to locate numbers for two of the early shindigs, Geneva and Bonn. I updated it after Glasgow and Sharm El-Sheikh, but had lost all enthusiasm by Dubai.

Today (it was yesterday…) I idly wondered whether the rest of the world shared my ennui. Had the number of delegates finally begun to drop off?

I was rather surprised to find that – almost impossibly – COP28 managed to assemble almost 100,000 participants. (Actually, 97,372 according to the UNFCCC; another 3,000 dialled in, so the total was in fact over a tenth of a million. And why was it not the other way: 97,000 virtual attendees, and 3,000 in person?) Quite incredibly, COP28 all but tripled the attendance of COP27 (33,449).

What about this year? The total attendees:

66,778

I won’t ask you to guess how many UK plc sent, because Paul Homewood already drew attention to the number, and I’m sure most readers of Cliscep read Notalot. If you do so, you will know that the UK delegation numbers 470.

Of course, that is a bald number lacking context. The context is that the UK is in 11^th place on the delegation size list. Here are the top eleven:

Azerbaijan	2,229
Brazil	1,914
Türkiye	1,862
United Arab Emirates	1,011
China	969
Russian Federation	900
Indonesia	810
Nigeria	634
Japan	595
Kazakhstan	478
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	470

The further context is that the delegates come from a range of departments and organisations, foreign countries, business outfits and media. Here is a list of all organisations with at least three representatives:

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero	115
FCDO	51
No10	33
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office	28
UK Government	15
Sky News	11
Department for Business and Trade	10
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs	8
National Grid	8
SSE Plc	8
Standard Chartered	7
British Council	6
International Climate Change	6
Met Police	6
University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership	6
AVEVA	5
DP World	5
HM Treasury	5
Cabinet Office	4
Climate Change Committee	4
Government Legal Department	4
Octopus Energy	4
UK Export Finance	4
BBC News	3
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	3
Department for Health and Social Care	3
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology	3
DfT	3
ITV News	3
UK Parliament	3
UK Space Agency	3
We Are Family Foundation	3

Some items appear more than once owing to nuance in spelling or abbreviations. One of our representatives put themselves down as a member of “Foreign, Commenwalth and Development Office” [sic]. Just the sort of representative we need.

Why are we sending representatives from DP World? [= Dubai Ports World, famed for running ports, and for firing 800 P&O ferry staff.] Or Octopus Energy? The 11 from Sky are presumably making a documentary about Chairman Starmer. Further down the list (not shown) are representatives of Anguilla, Montserrat, and others.

Other countries’ numbers tot up to 32,688. Almost as many, you’ll note, as the total attendance at COP27.

1,128 folks from the UN turned out, representing 41 different offices:

Department of Peace Operations	11
Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs	15
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific	16
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia	4
Economic Commission for Africa	134
Economic Commission for Europe	29
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean	2
Executive Office of the Secretary-General	28
International Trade Centre	22
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs	10
Office of Legal Affairs	1
Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States	2
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights	26
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees	23
Ozone Secretariat	7
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity	4
Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification	3
The Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund	20
United Nations Capital Development Fund	15
United Nations Children’s Fund	100
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development	92
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs	21
United Nations Department of Global Communications	14
United Nations Development Coordination Office	26
United Nations Development Programme	83
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women	69
United Nations Environment Programme	49
United Nations General Assembly	4
United Nations Human Settlements Programme	39
United Nations Institute for Training and Research	24
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction	17
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs	2
United Nations Office for Project Services	99
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime	7
United Nations Population Fund	34
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development	1
United Nations University	49
United Nations Volunteers	1
United Nations Youth Office	2
Universal Postal Union	5
World Food Programme	18

I didn’t know the UN had an Office for Outer Space Affairs. Is this someone’s idea of a joke, or is this the organisation that will eventually evolve into Starfleet?

There are 1,047 representatives from 23 international agencies, some of them excrudescences of the UN:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	47
Global Environment Facility	21
Green Climate Fund	36
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO	10
International Atomic Energy Agency	47
International Civil Aviation Organization	8
International Fund for Agricultural Development	27
International Labour Organization	26
International Maritime Organization	6
International Monetary Fund	29
International Organization for Migration	84
International Telecommunication Union	47
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS	2
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization	17
United Nations Global Compact	25
United Nations Industrial Development Organization	183
WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change	31
World Bank Group	260
World Health Organization	59
World Intellectual Property Organization	10
World Meteorological Organization	34
World Tourism Organization	24
World Trade Organization	14

There are 1,029 representatives of 111 inter-governmental organisations (the interpreter having replaced some characters with ?):

Adaptation Fund Board	16
African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development	9
African Development Bank Group	26
African Union Commission	29
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity	6
Asian Development Bank	39
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center	4
Asian Forest Cooperation Organization	4
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank	26
Banco Centroamericano de Integraci?n Econ?mica	4
Black Sea Trade and Development Bank	5
CAB International	6
Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre	14
Caribbean Community Secretariat	4
Caribbean Development Bank	6
Caribbean Export Development Agency	3
Center for International Forestry Research	8
Centre for Environment & Development for Arab Region & Europe	5
Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT)	3
CGIAR System Organization	15
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure	21
Comisión Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarrollo	1
Comité permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel	10
Commission de l’ocean Indien	4
Commission des Forêts d’Afrique Centrale	3
Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South	10
Commonwealth Secretariat	22
Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat	1
Corporación Andina de Fomento	7
Council of Europe	7
Council of Europe Development Bank	3
East African Community	7
East Mediterranean Gas Forum	3
Economic Community of Central African States	5
Economic Community of West African States	8
Economic Cooperation Organization	4
ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency	1
Energy Charter Conference	2
Energy Community	4
Eurasian Development Bank	5
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development	35
European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts	3
European Investment Bank	25
European Space Agency	7
European University Institute	6
Gas Exporting Countries Forum	8
Global Crop Diversity Trust	6
Global Green Growth Institute	7
Global Water Partnership Organisation	7
Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration	3
IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre	13
Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura	21
Inter-American Development Bank	16
Inter-Parliamentary Union	7
International Anti-Corruption Academy	1
International Bureau of Weights and Measures	4
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas	5
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development	7
International Centre for Research in Agroforestry	7
International Development Law Organization	5
International Electrotechnical Commission	12
International Energy Agency	13
International Energy Forum	2
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies	20
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance	1
International Institute of Refrigeration	6
International Livestock Research Institute	10
International Network for Bamboo and Rattan	6
International Renewable Energy Agency	34
International Rice Research Institute	10
International Solar Alliance	36
International Transport Forum, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development	7
International Tropical Timber Organization	2
International Union for Conservation of Nature	25
International Water Management Institute	12
Islamic Development Bank	32
ITER International Fusion Energy Organization	11
Lake Chad Basin Commission	4
League of Arab States	16
New Development Bank	12
Nordic Council	8
Nordic Council of Ministers	7
Nordic Development Fund	7
Nordic Environment Finance Corporation	7
Nordic Investment Bank	8
Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel	4
OPEC Fund for International Development	12
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development	12
Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie	6
Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States	12
Organiza??o do Tratado de Coopera??o Amaz?nica	2
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe	7
Organization of American States	7
Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries	2
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries	8
Pacific Islands Development Forum	6
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat	4
Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean	7
Permanent Court of Arbitration	1
Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention	2
Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency	10
Regional Community Forestry Training Center for Asia and the Pacific	5
Secretaria Ejecutiva del Consejo Agropecuario Centroamericano	5
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme	1
Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean	30
South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme	2
Southern African Development Community	4
The Coral Triangle Initiatives on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security	1
The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)	8
The Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden	3
University for Peace	7

No doubt all these folk have good reasons to be at the shindig.

There are so many people from so many NGOs that I can’t show them: almost 10,000, with more than 1,000 organisations sending people. Here are the orgs with 20 or more staff on hand:

International Chamber of Commerce	158
ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability	89
Climate Action Network International	88
Egypt The Dream Foundation for Development and Innovation and Innovation	64
International Trade Union Confederation	53
Society for Development and Community Empowerment	48
WWF	48
Abibimman Foundation	47
C Team	44
International Emissions Trading Association	43
African Smart Cities Innovation Foundation	37
Sustainable Development Policy Institute	35
World Farmers’ Organisation	35
African Climate Change Research Centre	32
Association Actions Vitales Pour Le Développement Durable	32
Greenpeace International	32
Habitable Earth International Organisation	32
The Northern Forum	32
International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges	29
India Youth For Society	27
International Youth Council – Yemen	27
World Business Council for Sustainable Development	27
ActionAid International Foundation	26
African Belt and Road Development Initiative	26
Climate Action Network – Europe	25
International Youth Nuclear Congress	25
The Volunteer Team Foundation for Humanitarian Action	25
Asabe Shehu Yar’adua Foundation	24
Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical	24
China Association for NGO Cooperation	22
Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet, Incorporated	22
Sustainable Environment Food and Agriculture Initiative	22
Woman, Development, Future Public Union *	22
Climate Action Network – Latin America	21
Coshare Environment	21
Friends of the Earth International	21
Washington University	21
Association Club Amis de la Planète	20
Fundación Red Colombiana Para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos, el Medio Ambiente y la Paz	20
Indigenous Information Network	20
International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests	20

Thrush, Hydra and SPECTRE also sent agents. I mean delegates.

The 301 delegates from Global Climate Action get their own tab in the UNFCCC’s PLOP spreadsheet. They include Mr. Albert Gore, whoever he is, one from UEFA, and two from Artistic Milliners. [Yes, really.]

Then we have 294 conference invitees, including two from the Clinton Foundation and 5 from BMW.

There are 1,881 invitees of the host country from nearly 1,000 outfits, including 5 from the Tony Blair Institute, more from the UN, one from the Shaolin Temple, & 4 from Bill & Mel Gates Foundation.

Finally, the media, numbering 3,575, from 1,400 companies. As you might guess, Azerbaijan’s media is the largest group. The BBC has sent a modest 12, at least off their own back (plus 3 hanging onto the UK party’s coat-tails). In these straitened times, the Guardian kept their numbers down to 3, to add to the 1 who came with a UK badge.

Ignoring the 12-ish temporary passes, that’s the whole shebang. 66,778 party-goers.

Oh, minus 85 now that Argentina have gone home.

Our leader submitted the UK’s suicide note at the beginning of the conference. He was captured the same day with an expression that told of second thoughts. Of course, fleeting expressions captured by a fast shutter can be very misleading. No doubt the PM was just listening intently to some important point or other. Perhaps it was someone laughing at him and asking for money, or demanding that he demonstrate climate leadership.

Meanwhile, on this grey Thursday morning, scanning the live streams of COP29 on Youtube, I see a total of about 50 people watching from around the globe across 6 streams. The top audience is for Euronews, with 20. There are streams running with (literally) zero viewers.