Bonn, Germany – A new round of talks on climate change sputtered to a close on Sunday, June 15, placing the onus on a UN summit in September to boost momentum for a global pact by the end of 2015. Delegates reported faltering progress in the 12-day session.
[…] Taking place under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the negotiations seek to forge a historic deal in Paris in 2015 that will take effect from 2020.
Under the deal, 195 countries would make voluntary pledges on carbon gases so that warming does not breach a threshold of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times.
They would also channel financial aid to poorer countries to shore up defenses against climate change and provide cleaner technology to help wean them off fossil fuels.
The haggling will move into higher gear from the second quarter of 2015, when the parties are supposed to have put their pledges on the table.
But before then, they have to agree common rules for vetting these efforts to ensure there is transparency and that pledge-makers are held to account.
“It’s disappointing that negotiators didn’t make more progress at this session on building greater consensus on the information that will be required in national contributions,” said Alden Meyer with the US expert group the Union of Concerned Scientists. […]
‘Not enough on the table’
“Though the progress here in Bonn by negotiators was heartening, there’s not enough on the table. Heads of government (need) to get involved to make the tough choices negotiators can’t,” CAN said.
The Bonn talks revealed difficult and complex differences on the basics, delegates added.
Richer nations are focused especially on mitigation – reducing emissions – while poorer nations are more preoccupied for help with adapting to climate change, whose effects are already underway.
“Without finance on the table before Paris it’s hard to see how we can avoid a stalemate, which puts a deal in danger,” said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid.