The Bonn Climate Change Conference concluded today after two weeks of intensive work across a range of issues where progress is needed on the path to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) this November in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“We’ve taken modest steps forward here in Bonn,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell in his closing speech. “[But] too many items are still on the table . . . We’ve left ourselves with a very steep mountain to climb to achieve ambitious outcomes in Baku.”
Key Areas of Progress
Climate Finance:
Hosted a technical expert dialogue (TED10) to enable in-depth examination of the elements of the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG)
Stiell also noted the need for further progress on climate finance issues outside of the UNFCCC process, including by the G7. “Advanced economies have multiple levers to pull, including as shareholders in development banks.”
Adaptation and Resilience:
UN Climate Change is urging Parties to develop National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) by the end of 2025, and to make progress in implementing them by 2030.
UN Climate Change will work directly with countries to accelerate the formulation of NAPs, including through its Regional Collaboration Centres.
International Carbon Markets:
Progress on technical aspects of Article 6, including carbon credit authorization and market registries.
Agreed to hold a workshops to further progress technical work on Article 6.2 and 6.4 ahead of November.
Transparency:
Parties were encouraged to submit Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) to strengthen evidence for climate action.
New reporting tools and a Climate Data Hub were introduced to enhance data tracking and transparency.
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs):
Emphasis on submitting updated NDCs aligned with the 1.5 °C target early next year.
The conference set the stage for further negotiations ahead of COP29, emphasizing collaboration and the urgent need for action.