Fuelling Delay: How fossil fuel interests shape global climate negotiations

This new report from Transparency International exposes the deep influence of fossil fuel actors across the UN climate negotiation process. It reveals that these interests shape everything from the foundational rules of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the outcomes of COP meetings, weakening global efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

A lack of transparency makes it difficult to ensure accountability. At COP29, nearly one in six participants failed to disclose their affiliations, many linked to Party delegations - a transparency gap that threatens the legitimacy of international climate governance.

Recommendations in the report include calling on the UNFCCC, national governments, and COP Presidencies to introduce strict disclosure rules, manage conflicts of interest, and ensure meaningful participation from civil society and communities most affected by climate change.

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.