The Climate Action Institute took part in the Bonn Conference, which took place between June 3 and 13, 2024, represented by its Executive Director, Gabriel Mantelli. This is an important international meeting dedicated to climate issues, organized annually by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Held in the city of Bonn, Germany, home to the UNFCCC Secretariat, the conference brings together the UNFCCC's subsidiary bodies, the technical body (SBSTA) and the implementing body (SBI), and serves as a prelude to the Conference of the Parties (COP), the main annual meeting where global climate policy decisions are made.
At the Bonn Conference, representatives of governments, non-governmental organizations, scientists and other key actors meet to discuss progress in implementing the Paris Agreement and other international climate treaties. Topics covered include mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change, climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building. Gabriel Mantelli, who followed the negotiations closely, answered some questions about what was being discussed at the event.
Question: What happens at the Bonn Conference?
Answer: Country negotiators debate a variety of issues, from scientific and technological advances to financing strategies to combat climate change. There are also committee meetings and negotiations on implementing agreements, as well as setting priorities for the next COP.
Q: What are the most important themes this year?
A: This year, the main theme is the new climate finance target, called the New Collective and Quantified Goal for Climate Finance (NCQG). Currently, the target of 100 billion dollars a year in funding from developed countries to promote climate action in developing countries is still not being met and falls far short of countries' real needs. Under the new target, countries aim to mobilize significant resources to support adaptation and mitigation initiatives and to deal with the loss and damage caused by climate change in vulnerable and developing countries.
Q: What's next?
A: From the Brazilian perspective, the discussions presented in 2024, at COP29 in Azerbaijan, will be fundamental to pave the way for COP30, which will take place here in Brazil, in Belém do Pará, in 2025.
This year, countries will also have to submit their biannual reports (BTRs) on the implementation of the Paris Agreement for the first time. These reports will allow for an assessment of the progress and challenges in implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a document from each country that records its commitment and contribution to fulfilling the climate agreement.
Next year, the new NDCs will also be presented, and Brazil will have a key role to play in encouraging an increase in ambition, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement to keep the average global temperature increase to 1.5°C. It will be necessary to follow the developments in Bonn and at COP29 to demand an increase in ambition from countries!
The Climate Action Institute's participation in the Bonn Conference was of paramount importance to the organization, reinforcing its role in the international arena of climate change discussions and seeking to promote climate justice. Attending the conference allowed the NGO to establish valuable connections with other organizations, governments and experts in the field of climate, broadening its network of collaboration and influence.