New Delhi, Oct. 27 -- At the United Nations climate talks, those invested in prolonging the fossil fuel era still help design its end. CoP-28 in Dubai had more than 2,400 accredited delegates linked to oil, gas and coal interests, a number that exceeded the size of almost every national delegation. Their presence raised a question central to the credibility of global climate governance: Can the architects of the carbon economy also draft the blueprint for its phase-out?

Today, six of nine planetary boundaries have been transgressed. The climate system faces a breakdown. Yet, at CoP-29 in Baku in 2024, 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists gained access to negotiations, outnumbering delegations from the world's 10 most climate-vulnerable nations co...