Al Gore: Saudi Arabia possesses the ability to block consensus-based decisions in UN climate negotiations. Our verdict: True.
Al Gore made the claim on 12 November 2026, in remarks reported by Yahoo News, in which he criticised Saudi Arabia's veto power at UN climate talks.
Our verdict
True
Al Gore's claim is accurate. Under UN climate rules, decisions are made by consensus, meaning any single country — including Saudi Arabia — can block a decision by formally objecting.
What we found
We reached this verdict because the UNFCCC's own procedural guidance states that decisions are adopted by consensus, defined as the absence of any formal objection, and that a decision cannot be adopted if consensus is not achieved. This gives any Party, including Saudi Arabia, the ability to block a decision. A Guardian report also documents Saudi Arabia and its OPEC allies successfully blocking the adoption of voting rules, which locked in the consensus requirement. An analysis from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) confirms that this rule structurally empowers petrostates such as Saudi Arabia to block decisions. Al Gore's remarks were reported by Yahoo News, which quoted him calling the situation "literally insane".
The evidence
3 of 5 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
- Supports the claim
The UNFCCC's official procedural guidance says decisions are adopted by consensus, defined as the absence of any formal objection, and that the Presiding Officer cannot adopt a decision if consensus cannot be achieved. This effectively gives any Party, including Saudi Arabia, the ability to block a decision by objecting. [1]
- Supports the claim
The Guardian reported that Saudi Arabia and OPEC allies successfully blocked the adoption of voting rules in UN climate negotiations, ensuring that consensus is required — which effectively gives any single country a veto over decisions. [2]
- Supports the claim
The SWP analysis concluded that the UNFCCC's consensus decision-making rule structurally empowers a small group of petrostates, including Saudi Arabia, to block decisions despite broad majority support. [3]
- Background
Yahoo News reported that Al Gore said the idea of Saudi Arabia having the power to block global consensus is "literally insane" and advocated moving away from the consensus-based model. [4]
- Background
Minutes of the AGBM8 Sixth Plenary Meeting on 19 April 1998 show Saudi Arabia actively intervening in the negotiation process by introducing a proposal, illustrating the participatory nature of consensus-based discussions. [5]
How we checked
We looked at the UNFCCC's official procedural guidance, news reports documenting Saudi Arabia's role in blocking voting rules, an analysis of multilateral climate policy, and the original report of Al Gore's remarks. We reviewed 5 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]unfccc.int · Legal and procedural issues of the UNFCCC process
- [2]theguardian.com · $170,000 a minute: why Saudi Arabia is the biggest blocker of climate action · November 15, 2025
- [3]swp-berlin.org · The Limits of Multilateral Climate Policy · February 3, 2026
- [4]www.yahoo.com · Gore blasts 'insane' Saudi veto power at climate talks
- [5]archive.unfccc.int · AGBM8 Minutes Sixth Plenary Meeting · April 19, 1998
Have evidence we missed?
If you know of a source that confirms or contradicts this claim, send us the link. We review every submission and update fact checks when new evidence changes the picture.
Measured Take updates fact checks when new evidence emerges. Corrections are noted on the page.
All fact checks