Key facts
- UN climate negotiations in Bonn concluded late after failing to reach an agreement on climate finance.
- Developing nations and EU representatives accused fossil fuel interests of stalling progress and attacking climate science.
- India and the Arab Group, including Saudi Arabia, opposed proposals to counter climate misinformation and discuss climate tipping points.
- Fiji's head of delegation stated that "powerful interests desperate to protect their wealth and influence" are holding the process hostage.
- The talks highlighted concerns about the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists within national delegations.
Mid-year UN climate negotiations in Bonn concluded late, with countries failing to agree on a crucial financing deal to help developing nations adapt to climate change. The talks, which ran into overtime, were reportedly stalled by a "small group of fossil fuels interests" accused of attacking climate science and holding the process "hostage."
Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Simon Stiell, criticized the "you-first-ism" of nations unwilling to commit until others do, highlighting significant divides that require further work. Delegates from the EU, Switzerland, and numerous developing nations alleged that coordinated attacks on climate science occurred behind closed doors.
Fiji's head of delegation, Sivendra Michael, stated that "powerful interests desperate to protect their wealth and influence" were at play, causing suffering for vulnerable populations. Manjeet Dhakal, an adviser to the Least Developed Countries bloc, echoed these sentiments, describing "coordinated attacks" by fossil fuel interests.
Specific opposition came from India and the Arab Group, which includes oil-rich nations like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. They reportedly opposed calls for scientific bodies like the IPCC to counter climate misinformation and resisted removing references to "varying perspectives" on climate tipping points. India also suggested removing references to "irreversible changes" and opposing text on exceeding the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C limit.
The chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) expressed deep concern over attempts to undermine established climate science. Greenpeace Australia Pacific argued that an "unrelenting war on climate science" took place, threatening the reality of island nations facing sea-level rise. These frustrations are familiar in UN climate talks, which require unanimous consensus, and echo criticisms from COP30 in Brazil, which also avoided a fossil fuel phase-out roadmap.