The COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan are dragging towards an ugly and late finish as powerful voices call for massive reforms to the system, while a voting bloc led by Saudi Arabia seeks to slow progress and even undo a key success from last year.

The oil industry still dominates Baku, host to the COP29 United Nations climate talks.Credit: AP

The well-funded Saudi Arabian diplomatic machine has been acting as a “wrecking ball”, says Alden Meyer, a veteran of 28 of these vast and messy events who is now a senior analyst with the London-based climate research........

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