‘Double agents’: fossil-fuel lobbyists work for US groups trying to fight climate crisis

Exclusive: new database shows 1,500 US lobbyists working for fossil-fuel firms while representing universities and green groups

More than 1,500 lobbyists in the US are working on behalf of fossil-fuel companies while at the same time representing hundreds of liberal-run cities, universities, technology companies and environmental groups that say they are tackling the climate crisis, the Guardian can reveal.

Lobbyists for oil, gas and coal interests are also employed by a vast sweep of institutions, ranging from the city governments of Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia; tech giants such as Apple and Google; more than 150 universities; some of the country's leading environmental groups - and even ski resorts seeing their snow melted by global heating.