World climate summit needs reform, focus on implementation: study

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conferences of the Parties (COP) face growing criticism for being slow, overly reliant on consensus, and excessively influenced by fossil fuel interests. A recent study, based on a survey of 151 participants at COP29 in Azerbaijan, highlights a clear desire among attendees for significant reforms, particularly focusing on enhancing transparency and accountability in climate action.

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The most obvious result is that participants want to focus more on implementing agreed-upon promises rather than focusing on new climate agreements.

The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, involved participants ranking hypothetical reform proposals across six areas: selection of the conference presidency, decision-making processes, representation, the role of observers, transparency and accountability, and implementation. The study found a strong preference for a "hybrid" decision-making model, which would maintain consensus on core issues but allow for majority voting on less critical matters, moving away from the current all-encompassing consensus approach.

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This is connected to the demand for 'transparency and accountability,' which would allow for clearer tracking of how countries are fulfilling their promises and easier access to implementation-related information.

Perhaps the most striking finding is the overwhelming support for reforms centered on "transparency and accountability." Participants indicated a desire for systems that ensure the open disclosure and comprehensive tracking of all national climate actions. This aligns with a preference for the conference to shift its focus from negotiation alone towards a greater emphasis on implementation, or at least a balance between negotiation and execution.

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Reforms such as these are still contentious, and progress will be difficult without building a broad coalition to support them.

Interestingly, proposed reforms concerning the selection of the conference presidency or enhancing representation received considerably less support. While there was some positive, albeit statistically insignificant, reaction to limiting the participation of fossil fuel companies or increasing support for underrepresented groups, these were not primary drivers of reform preference. The study concludes that the most immediate and achievable reforms should concentrate on transparency, accountability, and implementation, given the broad consensus they command. More contentious reforms, it suggests, should be pursued incrementally.

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It is necessary to prioritize reforms that have the strongest consensus, focusing on transparency, accountability, and implementation in the short term.