Decades of Systematic Obstructionism: Saudi Arabia's Role in Slowing Progress in UN Climate Negotiations

The document argues that Saudi Arabia has spent three decades using procedural and substantive tactics to undermine UN climate negotiations and the IPCC scientific process. It details how Riyadh leverages consensus-based decision-making, raises opportunistic procedural objections, and contests climate science to delay the transition away from fossil fuels. The authors conclude by recommending structural changes to UN voting rules and increased transparency to combat such obstructionism.

• Saudi Arabia employs a strategy of 'systematic obstructionism,' defined as the sustained and aggressive use of tactics to block the general progress of UN climate negotiations to protect its oil and gas sector.
• Riyadh has successfully prevented the adoption of majority voting rules in the climate regime, ensuring that decisions must be taken by consensus, which allows a small number of countries to block agreements.
• Saudi Arabia uses 'Response Measures'—concerns over the economic impact of climate action on oil producers—as a tool to load agendas and hold other negotiation items 'hostage' to gain concessions.
• The Saudi delegation systematically undermines the IPCC by weakening the language in Summary for Policymakers (SPMs), emphasizing scientific uncertainties, and contesting the link between fossil fuels and warming.
• During the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) process, Saudi Arabia intervened hundreds of times across different working groups to slow deliberations and successfully removed all references to fossil fuel emissions from the WGI SPM.
• Saudi Arabia has shifted its narrative over time, moving from requesting compensation for lost oil revenues in the 1990s to promoting carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon dioxide removal (CDR), and a 'circular carbon economy'.
• The document identifies specific areas where Saudi obstruction has led to near-total paralysis, including international aviation and shipping regulations over a 30-year period.

APA

Depledge, J., De Pryck, K., & Roberts, J. T. (2023). Decades of Systematic Obstructionism: Saudi Arabia's Role in Slowing Progress in UN Climate Negotiations. Climate Social Science Network. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Decades-of-Systematic-Obstructionism-CSSN-Issue-Paper3.pdf

Chicago

Depledge, Joanna, Kari De Pryck, and J. Timmons Roberts. Decades of Systematic Obstructionism: Saudi Arabia's Role in Slowing Progress in UN Climate Negotiations. Climate Social Science Network, 2023. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Decades-of-Systematic-Obstructionism-CSSN-Issue-Paper3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Depledge |first1=Joanna |last2=De Pryck |first2=Kari |last3=Roberts |first3=J. Timmons |title=Decades of Systematic Obstructionism: Saudi Arabia's Role in Slowing Progress in UN Climate Negotiations |publisher=Climate Social Science Network |date=November 2023 |url=https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Decades-of-Systematic-Obstructionism-CSSN-Issue-Paper3.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{depledge2023decades, author = {Depledge, Joanna and De Pryck, Kari and Roberts, J. Timmons}, title = {{Decades of Systematic Obstructionism: Saudi Arabia's Role in Slowing Progress in UN Climate Negotiations}}, institution = {Climate Social Science Network}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Decades-of-Systematic-Obstructionism-CSSN-Issue-Paper3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }