Posted on June, 16 2022
(BONN) 16 June 2022 - Stubborn blocking of progress on loss and damage, and financing shortfalls across the board from wealthy countries in the UN climate talks in Bonn, held up climate action desperately needed to tackle the climate crisis. This again highlights the disconnect between what is said and done in negotiations, and what is happening and needs to happen on the ground.
The Bonn meetings kicked off a new phase of negotiations post-Glasgow COP26, with an increased focus on implementation. Parties are designing processes and agendas, and getting options and proposals on the table for discussion now, said Mark Lutes, WWF Head of Delegation.
“Parties advanced work on a wide range of complex and difficult items. We did not expect concrete outcomes at this stage. But it is already clear that the general lack of a sense of urgency, and the perennial conflicts and fault lines between Parties, threaten the rapid progress we need this year and this decade. Process must lead to action, and urgency must be at the centre of all actions and processes.
“Broken promises and unfulfilled commitments on climate finance and action by rich countries stand in the way of progress for all. Countries are falling back into old habits of holding one issue hostage to further another issue dear to them. So when some countries block progress on loss and damage finance and respond to increasing impacts of climate change, others block progress on mitigation.
“As a consequence, developing countries are deeply concerned that the burden of fighting climate change is increasingly being pushed onto them, without sufficient financial and other support, while many of them are also bearing the brunt of the impacts the world is already feeling,” said Lutes.
Politicians will have to show more political will to advance the implementation of their climate commitments, and opportunities are on the horizon with upcoming global political meetings at the G7 Summit, the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, the G20 Summit and at COP27.
Viviane Raddatz, Director Climate & Energy Policy, WWF Germany said: “Instead of closing it, the ambition gap looms over us. Meanwhile, the climate crisis is worsening. The Bonn intersessional negotiations showed that much remains to be done to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C. Parties must finally live up to the urgency of the situation. Mitigation action and ambition enhancement must be expedited, this must be reflected in the climate negotiations. Pressure is now on Germany: it must use its G7 Presidency and the summit in June as well as the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in July to put these issues higher on the agenda and also build trust by raising its finance commitments before COP27.”
Notes for Editors:
- Read the WWF COP27 Expectations Paper.
- All WWF reports, statements, issue papers and briefing notes will be published on our COP27 webpage at www.panda.org/cop27
Contact:
WWF International Media Team - news@wwfint.org
