Fossil fuel firms forcing countries to compensate them, Mary Robinson says

An activist at last month’s UN conference in Ottawa, at which a plastics treaty was ‘watered down’ by lobbyists, Mary Robinson said. Photograph: Adrian Wyld/AP

Fossil fuel companies are forcing governments to compensate them for lost earnings in the transition to a low-carbon global economy, and destroying the world’s ability to counter their harmful activities, former top UN officials have warned.

Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland who was twice a UN climate envoy, said she was “outraged” by the activities of fossil fuel companies, including forcing governments into “investment treaties” that reward them with billions in compensation when countries reduce their reliance on oil, gas and coal.