Skip to main content

Fossil fuel interests are undermining UN climate negotiations, new Transparency International report warns

Berlin – Fossil fuel interests have deeply infiltrated global climate talks, threatening the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations’ climate negotiation process, according to a new report released today by Transparency International.

The report, titled Fuelling delay: How fossil fuel interests shape global climate negotiations, reveals that fossil fuel actors exert influence at every stage of international climate diplomacy - from shaping the foundational rules of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to steering positions of governments, negotiation outcomes inside COP meeting rooms and undermining the wider climate policy space.

Fossil fuel interests influence UNFCCC decision-making at multiple levels. They shaped the UNFCCC’s founding framework, embedding rules that allow individual countries to block progress. At the national level, they dominate political discourse, often sidelining civil society and independent experts, while inside negotiation rooms, industry-linked delegates shape language, strategy, and ambition. Beyond formal negotiations, corporate-sponsored events and partnerships at COPs promote narratives that justify continued fossil fuel use.

Brice Böhmer, Climate and Environment Lead at Transparency International, said:

“The same industries most responsible for the climate crisis continue to shape how the world responds to it. At COP29, nearly one in six participants did not disclose their affiliations, and many were linked to fossil fuel interests. This lack of transparency undermines trust in the entire process. Governments and the UNFCCC should implement strict disclosure rules for all delegates, require recusal from negotiations when conflicts of interest exist, and ensure fossil fuel companies cannot directly influence climate policy-making or negotiations”.

The report highlights that nearly 15 per cent of COP29 participants did not disclose their affiliations, with most holding official state badges - an alarming loophole that allows fossil fuel-linked individuals to participate without scrutiny. Despite limited recent reforms to the registration system, the UNFCCC still lacks clear, system-wide definitions of conflicts of interest and rules for managing them.

To restore trust and legitimacy in global climate governance, Transparency International calls on the UNFCCC Secretariat, COP Presidencies, and national governments to take concrete steps to restore trust in global climate governance. These include defining and managing conflicts of interest for all UNFCCC actors, including delegates and observers. Delegation affiliations and funding sources must be disclosed in accessible formats, and public registries should track meetings between negotiators and fossil fuel industry representatives. Participation of civil society, Indigenous peoples, youth, and communities impacted by the climate crisis should be ensured in setting national climate positions. Finally, the integrity of COP Presidencies must be safeguarded through clear ethical and transparency standards.

Note to editors:

  • About the Report:

Fuelling Delay draws on 39 interviews with climate negotiators, UNFCCC observers, and researchers, complemented by field observations from COP29 in Baku and the 2025 Bonn mid-year talks. It is part of Transparency International’s Climate Governance Integrity Programme, supported by the Waverley Street Foundation.