Urgency and concern about climate change

UN warns global heating still "ruinously high" at Bonn Climate Change Conference

The Bonn Climate Change Conference marked the halfway point on the road to COP29, as humanity’s push to limit global temperature rises to 1.5 Celsius this century enters its second phase.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell kicked off the conference with a stark warning. Although the last 30 years of collective effort have succeeded in reducing the trajectory of global heating this century from around 5 degrees to 2.7, this is still "ruinously high.”

Finance, which Stiell called "the great enabler of climate action,” was a key focus in Germany over the last 10 days, as policymakers sought to get the Paris Agreement’s machinery firing on all cylinders.

The high-level meetings set about creating a third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), national climate plans Stiell deemed "among the most important policy documents produced so far this century.”

These are due to be submitted in 2025, and the NDC Partnership, in collaboration with the secretariat, UN Development Programme and World Resources Institute, launched the NDC 3.0 Navigator, an interactive tool to help parties raise ambition and accelerate implementation.

Transparency and climate reporting were also high on the agenda, with parties to the Paris Agreement due to submit their first transparency reports this year, along with the rapid development of National Adaptation Plans to ensure economies and vulnerable communities are insulated from climate change impacts.

Inclusivity and equality were also focal points for discussion, particularly the involvement of indigenous communities and young people in the climate transition.

Lavenia Naivalu, District Representative of Nacula in Fiji’s Yasawa Islands, stressed the importance of removing barriers from access to climate finance and ensuring full participation from indigenous communities, equitable engagement, and the integration of indigenous knowledge systems into the strategic conversation.

As we look ahead to COP29, the spotlight is on the rapid acceleration of climate finance, mechanisms to quantify parties’ efforts and ensure accountability, and the role of international collaboration in securing a just and equitable transition to a green economy.

Kontakt: World Climate Foundation | info@worldclimatefoundation.org | www.worldclimatefoundation.org

Umwelt | Klima, 17.06.2024