UN climate talks no longer fit for purpose, say experts

Former high-ranking UN officials have written an open letter calling for a complete overhaul of the Cop climate talks, stating that the process is “no longer fit for purpose” in dealing with a rapidly intensifying climate crisis.

The letter, signed by figures including former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson, marks growing frsutration from the UN climate process as the first week of Cop29 negotiations come to a close in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The letter states that while the Cop framework has achieved key diplomatic milestones – such as the Paris Agreement and pledges to phase out fossil fuels – it is no longer “fit for purpose” to tackle the urgency of the climate crisis.

“Its current structure simply cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity,” the letter states.

The signatories have called for “reform to all states that are parties to the convention”, adding that there should be more focus on the implementation, rather than negotiation, and improving accountability.

“Science tells us that global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 7.5 per cent annually to have any chance of staying within the 1.5C threshold,” the letter says.

The letter also calls for “strict eligibility criteria to exclude countries who do not support the phase out/transition away from fossil energy”.

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“Host countries must demonstrate their high level of ambition to uphold the goals of the Paris Agreement.”

The calls come after Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev described oil and gas as a “gift from God” on Tuesday.

The officials also echoed concerns about the presence of fossil fuel executives at the climate summits.

“Despite the climate Cop’s new disclosure rules, a record number of 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access at Cop28, nearly four times more than Cop27,” the letter stated.

On Friday, analysis from the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition revealed that at least 1,773 people linked to the coal, oil and gas sector have been granted access to the Cop29 summit.

This number dwarfs almost every country’s delegation present in Baku. The 10 most vulnerable countries have a combined delegation of a little more than 1,000 people.

Most of these delegates were granted access to Cop29 as part of trade associations, primarily from the global north countries.

Climate campaigners also echoed the calls made by former UN officials in the letter. Some also pointed out the relevance of the process, adding that there are coalitions outside of Cops that focus on implementation.

“ [Cop] is the one multilateral process on climate action that gives every country a seat at the table,” Alex Scott, programme lead at E3G, said.

“Vulnerable countries won’t be at this weekend’s G20, for example. Of course, this makes it slower than the scale of the climate crisis demands.”