Bonn Climate Change Conference: The Mid-Year Battleground for Climate Action

The Bonn Climate Change Conference, currently underway in Germany (June 16-26, 2025), is a crucial mid-year gathering under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). While it doesn't garner the same global media attention as the annual Conference of the Parties (COP), Bonn is where the technical groundwork is laid, and the nitty-gritty details of global climate policy are hammered out. Essentially, it's the engine room that prepares the decisions to be made at the upcoming COP – this year, COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

What is the Bonn Climate Change Conference?

Formally known as the Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs), the Bonn conference brings together over 5,000 delegates, including government officials, scientists, Indigenous representatives, and civil society. It's led by two key bodies: the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI), which assesses and reviews the implementation of climate agreements, and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), which provides scientific guidance for policymaking.

Unlike the high-level political pronouncements of a COP, Bonn focuses on:

• • Advancing scientific understanding: Through expert discussions, it bridges the gap between climate science and policy.
• • Assessing progress: It reviews how countries are implementing existing climate agreements.
• • Preparing recommendations: It drafts the technical texts and policy frameworks that will then be debated and adopted at the COP.

The outcomes from Bonn are highly influential, often directly shaping the language and decisions ultimately adopted at the COP.

Why is it in the news right now?

The Bonn Climate Change Conference is in the news for several critical reasons, primarily revolving around contentious issues of climate finance and the pace of climate action.

• 1. Climate Finance – The Enduring Divide: This is arguably the biggest sticking point. Developing countries, including India, are pushing hard for concrete commitments from developed nations on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. This new goal is meant to replace the previous, unmet target of $100 billion per year from developed nations. While COP29 in Baku saw some movement on this, agreeing to a larger goal of $300 billion per year (nested within a broader $1.3 trillion by 2035 that could involve private sector and other sources), developing nations are demanding greater clarity, predictability, and accountability for public funds. They argue that developed countries are shirking their obligation to directly provide public funds, instead focusing on "mobilizing" private finance, which lacks the same level of assurance. The very opening of the current Bonn conference was delayed by disputes over adding agenda items related to climate finance and unilateral trade measures.
• 2. Unilateral Trade Measures (like CBAM): Another contentious issue brought forward by developing countries, including India within the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) bloc, is the opposition to unilateral trade measures such as the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). These measures, which levy a carbon tax on imports from countries with less stringent climate policies, are seen by many developing nations as protectionist and a barrier to their economic growth, especially when developed countries haven't fulfilled their own financial commitments to enable green transitions.
• 3. Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA): While a framework for the GGA was adopted at COP28, Bonn is tasked with defining, refining, and operationalizing this framework. Discussions here are crucial for establishing a unified global objective for adapting to the undeniable impacts of climate change, similar to the 1.5°C mitigation target. Progress on adaptation finance and implementation remains a critical concern for vulnerable nations.
• 4. Implementation of the Global Stocktake (GST): Following the first Global Stocktake at COP28, which concluded that the world is off track to meet the Paris Agreement goals, Bonn is focusing on how countries can enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with more ambitious targets by February 2025. There are ongoing debates about how to follow up on the "transition away from fossil fuels" pledge from COP28, with developed countries emphasizing emission cuts and developing countries stressing the need for adequate financial resources to enable such transitions.

The Bonn Climate Change Conference is a critical barometer of political will and commitment ahead of COP30. The current discussions highlight the deep-seated divisions between developed and developing nations, particularly concerning responsibility for climate action and the provision of adequate finance. The outcomes, or lack thereof, in Bonn will significantly influence the prospects for ambitious and equitable climate action on the global stage.