Why are COP meetings becoming more and more difficult?

Article by HE Haitham Al Ghais, OPEC Secretary General.

Wednesday, 5 March 2025

In the lead up to each UN Conference of the Parties (COP) climate summit, many column inches are dedicated to Parties elaborating on what they feel needs to be achieved, but by the end of each summit, it can feel like talks have only led to very small steps forward, if any at all.

The many voices at COP meetings can often appear to be talking at cross purposes, with some opinions all but dismissed, and with the history of how summits were originally intended largely forgotten. With COP meetings becoming more and more challenging, do we need to look at the processes and substance behind them and revisit what was agreed by all those that signed the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that launched the global negotiations?

We should ask ourselves some plain questions: have we veered too far away from the original document? Are COPs taking place in a parallel world, disconnected from the realities of what populations are facing around the world? Have COPs become more about ‘win or lose’ moments for some Parties, rather than ‘win-win’ ones? And how might future COP meetings achieve more of the latter?

When signing the UNFCCC in 1992, the Parties that agreed to it took pains to differentiate between developed nations that had been behind “the largest share of historical and current global emissions” and developing countries, where per capita emissions were also still relatively low.

In fact, this distinction remains today. From a historical perspective, since 1850 the US has around a 25% share of CO2 emissions, with the EU at close to 17% and the G7 countries at over 43%. In contrast, OPEC Member Countries are at 4%, India is at 3.5%, and Africa and South America are below 3%. Moreover, on a per capita energy-related emissions basis the gap has widened between OECD and non-OECD since 1992.

What this underscores is a line on the very first page of the initial UNFCCC document that highlighted that effective and appropriate international responses should be done “in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and their social and economic conditions.”

At times, today, it can feel like some forget this distinction at COP meetings, but it is vital that this remains central to the process going forward, in the interests of realistic and equitable future energy pathways for all.

Further, on page one, the document also underscores the sovereign right of nations to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental and developmental policies. It goes on to recognize “the special difficulties of those countries, especially developing countries, whose economies are particularly dependent on fossil fuel production, use and exportation, as a consequence of action taken on limiting greenhouse gas emissions.”

While it is clear today that oil producers are reducing emissions through advancing operational efficiencies and developing existing and new technologies, it is also important to recall this reference as it remains relevant today.

Moreover, we should also note that around 100 countries currently produce oil, consuming countries continue to buy it, with global demand increasing year-on-year, and petroleum products remain vital to everyday needs. In fact, you would not be able to host a COP without them.

While oil producers had a seat at the table at the three most recent COP meetings, after being almost dismissed at COP26, it is vital to keep in mind the spirit that emanates throughout the UNFCCC founding document. One that emphasizes that all voices should be heard.

Another key feature underscored in 1992 was the need for developed country Parties to provide new and additional financial resources, including for the transfer of technology, to enable developing country Parties to meet the agreed full incremental costs of implementing measures highlighted in the UNFCCC.

The issue of developed countries fulfilling their obligations to meet funding gaps and scale up climate finance to developing countries was still on the agenda at Baku, 32 years later. While a new finance goal was reached there, it is important that it is fully delivered.

The formative UNFCCC agreement is a well-rounded document and one that caters for the interests of all. The anti-oil narrative that has somehow attached itself to discussions about the COP has no basis in this founding text. It talks of the need for the “widest possible cooperation” and recognizes the needs of all nations and peoples, from the perspective of equitable and just ways forward. It also makes no reference to choosing energy sources, rather it drills in on the need to reduce emissions and leverage appropriate technologies.

It is an ‘all approach’, one that OPEC continues to advocate today. We cannot dismiss any energies, any technologies, or any peoples. We need win-win solutions at COP meetings that take on board all views, just like the UNFCCC was set up to do.