Bonn hosts a climate summit. - Conference in Bonn aims to discover methods for funding climate change efforts.
Approximately 6,000 specialists from various nations across the globe have been meeting in Bonn since Monday to find a solution to the disputed matter of climate financing. Since 2009, it has been agreed that developed countries should provide billions of dollars in aid to developing countries every year. This decision was reaffirmed in the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 and continued up until 2025. In 2022, the target of $100 billion annually was finally reached for the first time.
Nevertheless, the issue now concerns how to proceed beyond 2025. The upcoming World Climate Conference in November in Baku, Azerbaijan, is anticipated to make a formal decision in this regard.
The UN Climate Chief Simon Stiell urged attendees in his opening address at the World Conference Center in Bonn to work harder. "We cannot afford to stumble in the next ten days," said the Grenadian politician. "It is evident that climate protection measures need to take place much quicker."
What are the expectations of the Global North?
Bonn serves as the headquarters for the UN Climate Secretariat, making it the location for the annual ten-day conference to prepare for the next World Climate Conference. This year, the financial issue is a significant focus due to its significance. "Bonn is crucial in order for the negotiating parties at least to signal where they could possibly move," said David Ryfisch, a climate expert at Germanwatch, to the German Press Agency. "It is urgent to restore trust, as the annual $100 billion, which was only surpassed in 2022, has resulted in long-lasting damage to the relationship between industrialized and developing countries."
The wealthy countries of the Global North are demanding, among other things, that nations like the Gulf States also contribute to climate financing. "The issue is that we have a significant gap between the required funds and what is currently being provided," added Ryfisch.
"This is when things get serious"
It is not likely that concrete draft texts will be presented in Bonn. "However, the negotiations will be very intense," predicts Kowalzig, a climate expert from the aid organization Oxfam. "In the past few years, only expert discussions on a technical level have been held, but this year negotiations will be held concretely," said Kowalzig to the dpa. "Now it's really getting serious, so that there is a draft resolution before Baku, and this central question can then be decided in Baku. This Bonn round is therefore extremely significant. There is much anticipation for how the discussions will proceed."
As per a recent UNICEF study, extreme heat and air pollution can have serious implications for newborns and young children, including death. Child malnutrition, which is responsible for almost half of all child deaths under five years of age, is anticipated to increase due to climate change. Additionally, life-threatening diseases such as malaria are expected to spread further.
Read also:
- At the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, discussions focused on climate financing, with the aim of discovering methods to fund future climate change efforts.
- Azerbaijan is set to host the upcoming World Climate Conference in November, where a formal decision on post-2025 climate financing is anticipated.
- Germany, as the host nation for the UN Climate Secretariat, plays a significant role in preparing for the World Climate Conference, with the financial issue being a key focus.
- Simon Stiell, the UN Climate Chief, urged attendees at the Bonn conference to work harder, emphasizing the urgency of implementing climate protection measures swiftly.
- David Ryfisch, a climate expert at Germanwatch, highlighted the importance of Bonn as a negotiation venue, stating that it is crucial for negotiating parties to signal their positions and restore trust.
- According to Kowalzig, a climate expert from the aid organization Oxfam, the Bonn round is significant as it could lead to the drafting of resolutions ahead of the Baku conference, where the central question of climate financing beyond 2025 will be decided.
