For more than three decades, governments have negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to address the climate crisis. Yet despite overwhelming scientific evidence and escalating climate impacts, progress remains dangerously slow. One major reason is the UNFCCC’s reliance on consensus-based decision-making, which allows a small number of countries to block ambitious climate action and weaken outcomes.
CIEL’s briefing note, “Breaking the Deadlock: Why and How Voting Can Advance Climate Negotiations Thirty Years On”, examines how consensus-only decision-making has repeatedly stalled progress on critical issues, including fossil fuel phaseout, climate finance, loss and damage, and implementation of the Paris Agreement. The briefing also explores how other United Nations bodies and multilateral environmental agreements use voting procedures to move negotiations forward when consensus fails.
The publication outlines practical pathways for introducing qualified majority voting within the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement frameworks, including adopting long-delayed rules of procedure and amending the Convention itself. It argues that effective international cooperation on climate change is not optional, but a legal obligation reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice.
At a time of accelerating climate harm and growing frustration with stalled negotiations, this briefing provides governments, advocates, and negotiators with concrete options to strengthen multilateral climate governance and unlock more ambitious climate action.
Published on June 9th, 2026