Contribution short abstract

This paper examines how fossil fuel interest groups exert undue influence in UNFCCC processes. Through interviews and literature synthesis, it finds influence occurs via privileged access, information manipulation, and inaction in policy outcomes, shaping negotiations and promoting false solutions.

Contribution long abstract

The increasing presence of fossil fuel interest groups at UN climate conferences has intensified concerns about undue influence on international climate policymaking. However, the concept of undue influence in international governance remains poorly understood, and empirical evidence on how it is exerted is limited. To address these gaps, this paper explores fossil fuel interest groups’ influence within the UNFCCC processes. It identifies three key dimensions of undue influence: privileged access to international institutions, manipulation of information to bias decisions in favour of an interest group’s agenda, and resulting policies that advantage vested interests at the expense of the public good. It then examines how each dimension plays out in climate negotiations. Based on interviews with state negotiators and observers, as well as literature synthesis, the analysis finds that undue influence at UN climate conferences is primarily exercised through state delegations, whereby fossil fuel industry-linked actors use their privileged position to secure access to negotiations. In negotiations, information manipulation through censoring texts and blocking specific wording leads to lack of explicit language addressing fossil fuels, reflecting influence through omission. Non-negotiation spaces emerge as key arenas for disseminating disinformation and advancing “false solutions” to the climate crisis. The analysis shows that policy outcomes benefiting fossil fuel interests frequently take the form of inaction rather than overtly favourable decisions. The paper offers conceptual and empirical insights that contribute to anti-corruption scholarship and enhance understanding of UNFCCC processes.