More than 67,000 delegates are in Baku, Azerbaijan, to attend the United Nations’ annual climate summit. Brazil alone sent nearly 2,000 people, and Turkey more than 1,800. Both China and the United Arab Emirates credentialed close to 1,000 delegates. The United Nations itself sent hundreds of “observers” on behalf of both U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and specialized agencies. While off the peak attendance of last year’s Dubai summit, this year’s Conference of the Parties is still more than 300% larger than the Madrid iteration four years ago and more than four times higher than the pre-COVID-19 conferences.

There is normal hypocrisy, and then there is John “[private jets are] the only choice for somebody like me,” Kerry hypocrisy — but all pale in comparison to U.N. hypocrisy. The private and jumbo jets ferrying delegates to Baku, the idling sedans and limousines, the steak dinners and caviar mock any pretense that their climate concern is real.