The United Nations climate summit in Azerbaijan has ended in disappointment, with delegates from vulnerable countries expressing frustration over the lack of progress on climate aid and the dominant influence of fossil fuel lobbying. The summit, which concluded over the weekend, saw an incremental increase in climate aid commitments from wealthier nations, but fell short of expectations, particularly for countries most affected by climate change.

The Marshall Islands, which sits just seven feet above sea level, is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Its climate envoy, Tina Stege, expressed disappointment over the outcome, stating that "we have seen the very worst of political opportunism" at the summit. The small island nation produces a negligible 0.00001 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet is forced to bear the consequences of pollution caused by other countries.

The summit's focus on climate financing was a key area of contention. Delegates from vulnerable countries pushed for a much larger sum of $1.3 trillion in aid needed annually by 2035, but the final agreement only committed to tripling financing to $300 billion per year. The agreement also included looser language on the need for grants, rather than loans, which can trap poorer nations in cycles of debt.

Fossil fuel lobbying played a significant role in shaping the outcome of the summit. A staggering 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists were granted access to the summit, including 132 senior executives and staff from oil and gas companies. The host country, Azerbaijan, has strong ties to the fossil fuel industry, with its minister of ecology and natural resources, Mukhtar Babayev, being a former oil executive. The country's president, Ilham Aliyev, and OPEC Secretary General Haitham al-Ghais both described oil and gas as a "gift from God" during the summit.

The recent US elections also cast a shadow over the climate negotiations. President-elect Donald Trump's victory speech boasted about American "liquid gold, oil and gas," and his pick for the US Department of Energy, fracking company CEO Chris Wright, has raised concerns about the country's commitment to addressing climate change. Trump has previously called climate change a "hoax" and has threatened to pull the US out of the Paris agreement.

The outcome of the summit has significant implications for future climate negotiations. The 2025 COP will be a critical 10-year inflection point on the 2015 Paris agreement, when countries are expected to come with more ambitious national climate plans. However, the lack of progress at this year's summit has sparked calls to rethink how COP is run, with some proposing criteria to exclude countries that do not support the phase-out of fossil energy.

In a letter to UN member states and the current head of the UN and its climate chief, prominent signatories including former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested reforms to the COP process. The letter stated that the current structure "cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity."

As the world grapples with the consequences of climate change, the outcome of the UN climate summit in Azerbaijan serves as a stark reminder of the need for urgent and collective action. As Tina Stege, the Marshall Islands climate envoy, aptly put it, "countries seem to have forgotten the reason why we are all here. It is to save lives. We have to work hard to rebuild trust in this vital process."