IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcli/v15y2025i3d10.1038_s41558-025-02254-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Tracing inclusivity at UNFCCC conferences through side events and interest group dynamics

Author

Listed:
  • Judy Jingwei Xie

    (Imperial College London
    Imperial College London)

  • Nora Alessandra Escher

    (Imperial College London)

  • Matilda E. Dunn

    (Imperial College London)

  • Yurong Yu

    (Imperial College London)

  • Iain Staffell

    (Imperial College London)

  • Joeri Rogelj

    (Imperial College London
    Imperial College London
    International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis)

Abstract

Inclusivity and transparency are the foundations of procedural justice in climate governance. However, concerns persist around the influence of business interest groups at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conferences of Parties (COPs). COPs have increased in size and complexity, obscuring agendas and organizational relationships. Here we analyse the discourse and networks of actors at COP side events from 2003 to 2023 using machine learning-based topic modelling and social network analysis. We trace how discussions on energy, food and forests have evolved. Focusing on energy topics, we show that fossil fuel lobbyists gain COP access through developed-country business non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and developing-country governments. Their nominators focus on renewable energy and system approaches but are peripheral in the anti-fossil fuel discourse which grew from a collaborative network of environmental NGOs. Despite data availability challenges, systematically tracing the inclusivity of COP processes can uncover power dynamics at the highest levels of climate governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Judy Jingwei Xie & Nora Alessandra Escher & Matilda E. Dunn & Yurong Yu & Iain Staffell & Joeri Rogelj, 2025. "Tracing inclusivity at UNFCCC conferences through side events and interest group dynamics," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 15(3), pages 270-278, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:15:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1038_s41558-025-02254-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02254-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02254-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41558-025-02254-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:15:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1038_s41558-025-02254-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.