In an open letter to the United Nations, the COP climate summit is labeled as 'no longer fit for purpose'.
An open letter signed by prominent figures – including the former UN Secretary General, a former UN climate chief and numerous climate experts and advocates – says things cannot continue as they are.
The letter offers seven suggestions for reform, the first of which calls for an improvement in the host selection process.
Yeb Saño, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the conference should not be funded or fueled by corporate interests.
“It's a big deal when the fossil fuel industry is involved in climate negotiations and in hosting the spaces where we face driving ambition in this process,” he said.
Saño said all COP summits – the world's best forum for encouraging international action on climate change – must be “cleansed of vested interests”.
“One of the ways that can be done, without undermining the larger work that we're trying to do here and all parties here are trying to do, is to prevent companies from capturing these spaces and ensure that COPs instead financed by the government. to be financed by large corporate money.”
Third COP summit organized by 'petro-state'
This year's COP29 in Azerbaijan marks the third year in a row that the summit has been held in a so-called petrostate, with this year's organizing committee including current and former oil and gas executives.
Azerbaijan is under scrutiny not only for its dependence on fossil fuels and its commitments to increase gas and oil production, but also for human rights abuses and a
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg boycotted the summit.
From neighboring Armenia, she says Azerbaijan's recent attacks on dissidents in the country and on the Armenian people should not be overlooked.
“The continued extreme hardships that many Armenians face as a result of Azerbaijani military aggression, torture, forced displacement, prisoners of war, hostages and ethnic cleansing, and the extreme physical and psychological violence that people have experienced, cannot in any way be justified are,” she said.
The letter argues that the time is ripe for the COP summit to shift from a negotiating platform to a space for rapid implementation.
With this year's summit surrounded by uncertainty, not just in terms of the host, but also Concerns have arisen about the ability to make progress.
'No country can do this alone'
Director of the International Climate Politics Hub Catherine Abreu says the letter should not be interpreted as criticism, but rather as necessary suggestions for improvement.
“It (the letter) has created an atmosphere of cynicism around the ability of this space to deliver the results it needs to deliver. And I think these constructive ideas about how we could turn this space into a deployment vehicle may be misguided interpreted in that context as a critique of space,” she said.
“Ultimately, I think we can all agree that it is absolutely essential that countries work together to tackle the climate crisis. No country can do this alone. And this is the only space that brings every country in the world together to do something.” she added.
The letter also makes suggestions to improve fair representation by improving the management of corporate interests at COP.
It argues that the fact that there are more lobbyists than official representatives of scientific institutions, indigenous communities and vulnerable countries reflects a systemic imbalance that needs to be resolved.
There are more fossil fuel lobbyists than most country delegations
Catherine Abreu says the large presence of lobbyists is not a signal of their desire for change.
“We know that there will be 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists at COP29. That is larger than most country delegations, with the exception of three country delegations, including host country delegations.
'These interests are not there to stimulate ambition. In fact, they are here to lead us backwards.
“The UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) needs a conflict of interest policy that puts a firewall between everything to do with climate change, everything to do with UNFCCC and everything to do with fossil fuels.”
With such a large presence of fossil fuel lobbyists, the letter also calls for amplifying the voice of authoritative science.
Following the election of Donald Trump in the US, concerns are increasing about disinformation and climate denial further slowing progress.
This certainly did not promote optimism among the delegates at COP29 . A year ago, the country elected Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian has drawn comparisons to Trump.
Finance negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States Michai Robertson says Trump and Milei are part of a global trend that has worrying consequences for the climate.
“We are in a different geopolitical context than the first time (the US) left (the Paris Agreement). Many other countries lean to the right? Correct. There is less ability for us and there is less camaraderie among ourselves. the international community to get things done.”
During his speech at COP29, former US Vice President Al Gore also attacked the fossil fuel industry and its apparent influence on the negotiations.
“It is unfortunate that the fossil fuel industry and the oil states have taken control of the COP process to an unhealthy degree,” he said.
“Do we listen to the polluters who won't do anything meaningful to reduce fossil fuels? Or do we listen to the scientists who tell us what to do?”
“The fact that the scientists who predicted all this decades ago have been absolutely right should make the rest of us pay more attention to what they're telling us now.”
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