Breaking the Deadlock: Why and How Voting Can Advance the Climate Negotiations 30 Years On

This issue note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is paralyzed by its reliance on consensus-based decision-making. The report contends that this model allows a small minority of states to block ambitious climate action and proposes transitioning to a qualified majority voting system to accelerate progress and fulfill legal obligations to cooperate on climate change.

• The UNFCCC's reliance on consensus-based decision-making often leads to 'lowest common denominator outcomes' and allows a small minority of parties to block progress, effectively creating a 'race to the bottom'.
• Consensus requirements have specifically hindered progress on fossil fuels, 1.5°C science, and loss and damage. For example, it took 28 COPs to recognize the need to move away from fossil fuels, and at COP26, objections led to the watering down of text from a 'phase out' of coal to a 'phase down'.
• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirmed in a July 2025 Advisory Opinion that international cooperation on climate change is a 'legal obligation' and not a matter of choice, implying that states must ensure their cooperative frameworks are fit for purpose.
• Voting in other UN and multilateral forums demonstrates that the prospect of voting can actually broker consensus by preventing isolation and allowing the majority to move forward. Examples include the UN General Assembly, the Green Climate Fund, and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• Current trends show a decline in multilateralism and a failure of the Paris Agreement's ambition cycle; in 2025, only 64 new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) were included in the UNFCCC synthesis report, meaning two-thirds of countries failed to submit a plan.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2025). Breaking the Deadlock: Why and How Voting Can Advance the Climate Negotiations 30 Years On. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Decision-Making-Primes_Breaking-the-Deadlock_-Why-and-How-Voting-Can-Advance-the-Climate-Negotiations-30-Years-On_November-2025.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Breaking the Deadlock: Why and How Voting Can Advance the Climate Negotiations 30 Years On. 2025. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Decision-Making-Primes_Breaking-the-Deadlock_-Why-and-How-Voting-Can-Advance-the-Climate-Negotiations-30-Years-On_November-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Breaking the Deadlock: Why and How Voting Can Advance the Climate Negotiations 30 Years On |date=November 2025 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Decision-Making-Primes_Breaking-the-Deadlock_-Why-and-How-Voting-Can-Advance-the-Climate-Negotiations-30-Years-On_November-2025.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2025breaking, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Breaking the Deadlock: Why and How Voting Can Advance the Climate Negotiations 30 Years On}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Decision-Making-Primes_Breaking-the-Deadlock_-Why-and-How-Voting-Can-Advance-the-Climate-Negotiations-30-Years-On_November-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }