Limited progress at Bonn climate talks

09 August 2010

At last week's UN climate negotiation session in Bonn, Germany, there were some advances in the text in some respects, including moving on to line by line negotiations. However, the spirit of compromise so desperately needed at this stage seemed to be lost. So much additional bracketed text was added to the LCA text, which includes all parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it absolutely ballooned in size. Parties seemed to be simply adding more and more of their pet issues back in, knowing their additions would not be well received by other parties or easily resolved.

Looking forward to Cancun, however, there is a glimmer of hope. Between now and then, if Parties start to tell their governments not only what they need but also what other Parties need, there could be some room for movement and compromise. In addition, the Mexican government seems to be working hard to make sure the mistakes made by the COP presidency in Copenhagen are not repeated in Cancun. They are actively engaging with civil society, discussing needs with Parties and have assured everyone that they will not try to present a renegade text as their Danish predecessors so disastrously did before them.

We need to make sure Cancun delivers on locking in decisions, not just making more political declarations. Over the coming weeks, including during the next meeting in China, Parties need to urgently explore areas of common need.