The June climate meetings (SB64) began in Bonn on Monday amid major global turmoil, including a fuel crisis caused by the Iran-US conflict, and the approaching El Niño phenomenon expected to cause extreme weather in several parts of Asia, with discussion of implementing the first global assessment among the key issues on the agenda.
The delegation of the Union Ministry of Environment, which represents India at the Bonn meeting, is attending the sessions virtually, according to sources familiar with the matter. However, some representatives of other departments are attending in person, they said. Some of the key issues for India in Bonn are the global adaptation target, Belem adaptation indicators, and financing for adaptation.
The June meetings serve as a midway point to discuss key climate issues ahead of the annual climate conference (COP31) scheduled to be held in Antalya, Turkey, next November.
Following the first global assessment in Dubai in 2023, countries agreed on three key issues, among others. The UAE Consensus called on parties to triple global renewable energy capacity and double the global average annual energy efficiency improvement by 2030. It also urged to accelerate efforts to relentlessly phase down coal power, transition from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a fair, orderly and equitable manner, and accelerate action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in line with the latest climate science.
The Bonn Conference is expected to discuss the implementation of this agreement. It is also expected to discuss a fair mechanism to assist countries in the energy transition and, most importantly, to discuss climate financing for adaptation efforts.
Simon Steele, UN climate chief, called on countries to redouble their efforts on climate action amid the economic instability caused by the climate crisis and conflicts.
In his opening remarks, he said: “Addressing the global climate crisis is the hardest, but most important, thing humanity has ever attempted. It is worth doing, because we have no other choice. Every economy and population depends on it. All of you here have chosen to devote yourselves to this task. It is never easy. And it is ungrateful at times. But together, you have made it through negotiations, overcome past setbacks, and found ways for countries that disagree on almost everything to reach agreement.”
“As the effects of El Niño – reinforced by the climate crisis – promise more pain and inflationary shocks. And as war in the Middle East causes massive human suffering and ignites a fossil fuel cost crisis that is strangling economies everywhere, it is abundantly clear: our continued dependence on fossil fuels means continuing to import inflation and economic instability, while exporting energy security, sovereignty and policy independence, leaving economies and societies vulnerable to climate catastrophes, devastating life and prosperity everywhere,” Steele noted. That. He urged the countries to fulfill their Paris commitments and plans established under the agreement.
China, on behalf of like-minded developing countries, made it clear that the means of implementation or climate financing and the treatment of protectionist policies by some countries will be key for developing countries at the Bonn meeting and at COP31. LMDC is a group of developing countries including India who organize themselves as a bloc of negotiators in international organisations.
“The lack of ambition among our partners regarding mitigation and means of implementation and addressing the new challenges of unilateralism and protectionism pose obstacles to our collective efforts and international cooperation in the second decade of the Paris Agreement. We have seen signals from our partners regarding means of implementation that highlight the need to urgently close the financial gap,” China noted on behalf of the developing country cooperation mechanism in the plenary session on Monday.
“The current replenishment of GEF resources is the lowest in the past 16 years. We look forward to a meaningful discussion within the framework of the climate dialogue,” he said.
China also noted that the Climate Finance Action Program and the Climate Dialogue and Trade must be deliberately designed to achieve meaningful engagement and tangible outcomes. We need improvement work to happen in this direction. “Our main task here is to maintain the momentum of unity, solidarity and cooperation in tackling climate change. In this context, it is crucial to know the difference between consensus-based processes under the Convention and the Paris Agreement and initiatives outside this process… Finally, we would like to express our highest commitment to ambitious climate action. We stand for ambition and we want real ambition. That is why goals and means must go hand in hand. We must activate real enablers for climate action, which are the means to deliver and eliminate protectionism And unilateralism.”
Coinciding with the opening of the Bonn meetings, a new study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said that three major climate negotiating groups – the Umbrella Group, the European Union (EU), and the Environmental Integrity Group – made up mostly of developed countries – are expected to collectively fail to meet their 2030 and 2035 climate targets.
“These groups’ emissions are expected to be 9% above their 2030 NDC targets, and this is expected to rise to 19% in 2035 compared to their 2035 target levels,” the study said.
In contrast, most countries in the core group, including South Africa, India, and China, are more aligned with their 2030 commitments, despite lower historical responsibility and greater development constraints. The analysis is based on reports submitted by countries to the UNFCCC, including biennial transparency reports, datasets with a common tabular format, and common reporting tables.
“Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the world cannot continue to measure climate leadership by declarations alone. Implementation remains the ultimate test. South Asia and the broader Global South are showing that development and climate action can move together, but this requires fairness in how ambition is judged and support is delivered. Rich economies must move faster, both to achieve their own goals and to preserve enough carbon space for countries that are still meeting basic development needs. He said the next phase of climate diplomacy must be about accountability: who is acting, and who is leaving behind. Riding, and who enables others to achieve goals.” Ravi S. Prasad, a distinguished fellow at CEEW, and former chief climate change negotiator for India, said in a statement.
The Climate Action Network, a coalition of civil society organisations, set out its forecasts in Bonn on Monday. Developed countries should signal their commitment to at least triple adaptation financing by 2035, primarily through public grant-based financing, and agree on an implementation plan, they said. Furthermore, work should also begin on arriving at a COP31 resolution that would trigger, among other things, the Just Transition Mechanism (BAM).
“Adaptation is about people’s rights and justice. Communities facing the harshest climate impacts, even though they contribute the least to the crisis, must have access to the funding and support needed to survive, rebuild lives and live in dignity. They must also have a real role in shaping decisions that affect their future. Adaptation is no longer a side issue in climate talks. Floods, droughts, heatwaves, hunger and displacement are already destroying people’s lives, homes, livelihoods and entire communities. Adaptation Policy Coordinator at Action Network,” said Pooja Dev, Adaptation Policy Coordinator at Action Network. Climate International said in a statement: “An adaptation target cannot be just a political promise on paper. It must urgently provide real protection for people living on the front lines of the climate crisis.”
She added: “Fossil mining will also be discussed in the Bonn talks For climate. For workers, indigenous peoples and communities on the front lines of fossil fuel extraction and climate change, the transition away from fossil fuels is not an abstract political debate. It is about jobs, health, energy and economic survival. “In SB64, governments must demonstrate how commitments become actions – through public financing, international cooperation and people-centered national transformation plans that leave no worker or community behind.”
