The climate summit in Paris last year, ended with a success, and in April this year, it was followed up with a strong commitment made by 175 countries, signing the agreement at a ceremony in New York. Negotiators around the table were smiling, and the spirit was high - we can make a difference, we can fight climate Change together!
However, Monday this week a new session of UN climate talks kicks off in Bonn, Germany. Negotiators are again meeting up, this time to start the important and rather technical work, to follow up on the agreement from Paris. The fact is that many of the tricky issues, where pushed forward, when the big headlines were to be settled at the summit in Paris. Now Rules and definitions must be agreed, and beautiful words must be turned into action.
The follow up work from Paris, has two tracks. Hopefully, the first track has already started. It refers to national processes and decisions. Countries must ratify the Paris agreement, and commitments made, to reduce emissions and to scale up financial support, must be delivered. Everyone is aware that the compiled mitigation targets are far from enough, and that the agreement, to limit global warming to less than 2, preferably 1,5, degrees, is not realistic. This is the reason why it also was agreed to create an "ambition mechanism" where parties can increase their targets. The first opportunity is already in 2018 where a global "facilitative dialog" will be held to take stock of the current situation. There are plenty of action points for governments, and they have a busy agenda back home.
However, the second track is also important. It refers to a range of issues which must be solved in the UN climate talks, and this is the agenda which will be addressed in the coming two weeks in Bonn. It includes discussions about accounting rules for climate finance, a roadmap for how to scale up climate finance towards 2020, and a plan for how to make the “ambition-mechanism” and the global stock takes work.
Negotiators will be busy in Bonn. Let us hope they share the enthusiasm shown by their ministers who signed the Paris agreement in New York a month ago, and let us hope the positive momentum is turned into ambitious progress. It is time to implement the Paris agreement!