Frustration grows at fossil fuel influence and structure of UN climate talks. Some call for reform

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Good or bad, the United Nations climate negotiations process itself became the focus of the international talks that aim to curb warming from coal, oil and natural gas.

Environmental advocates released reports Friday decrying fossil fuel industry influence at the climate talks called COP29. At the same time, a letter signed by a former United Nations secretary-general and ex-top climate negotiators called for dramatic reform. And the conference's chief negotiator said current talks — aimed at striking a deal worth hundreds of billions of dollars to help finance a transition to clean energy and adapting to climate change — were going too slowly.

All that put the focus on process — not results.

“We consider COP29 as a litmus test for the global climate architecture," conference lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev said at a Friday news conference.