The structure and processes of United Nations climate
negotiations are "antiquated", unfair and obstruct attempts to reach
agreements, according to research published today.
The findings come ahead of the 18th UN Climate Change
Summit, which starts in Doha on November 26.
The study, led by Dr Heike Schroeder from the University of
East Anglia (UEA) and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, argues
that the consensus-based decision making used by the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) stifles progress and contributes to
negotiating deadlocks, which ultimately hurts poor countries more than rich
countries.
It shows that delegations from some countries taking part
have increased in size over the years, while others have decreased, limiting
poor countries’ negotiating power and making their participation less
effective.