During additional negotiations at working level, climate diplomats from almost 200 countries made preparations for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice (COP 24) at the end of this year. The aim of COP 24 is to adopt detailed rules for the Paris Agreement and initiate more effective climate measures in the various countries. The additional negotiations in Bangkok were agreed to prepare solid texts that will form the basis for decisions at ministerial level in Katowice.
State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry Jochen Flasbarth commented: “The specific form and structure of the rules will determine how well the Paris Agreement works. The devil is in the detail here, and this is why I am delighted that we have now created a better foundation for negotiations at COP 24. It is good to see all countries working constructively towards adopting the rules in Katowice. Although we still have a lot of work to do, I am confident that the team of the Polish Presidency will lead us successfully through the negotiations."
Representatives from the almost 200 Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change used the negotiations in Bangkok for intensive work on the text and specified and shortened the formulation proposals. They started developing concrete options to be decided on at COP 24 at ministerial level.
The complex negotiations deal with issues such as: What information must be supplied by each country for the new global transparency system? What level of flexibility will apply to countries that do not have sufficient staff or technical capacities to set up and maintain the necessary data bases? What information must be provided by the countries to make their climate targets comprehensible? How does the global stocktake, to take place every five years, work?
In addition to the detailed rules to be adopted in Katowice, possibilities for improving international climate action will also be discussed. The reason for this is that with national climate targets to date, the world is heading for a global temperature rise of over 3 degrees Celsius. Countries have therefore agreed to review their climate targets by 2020 and improve them if necessary. COP 24 will trigger this process with the Talanoa Dialogue and provide information for improving goals and measures at national level. Informal consultations were held in Bangkok on the Talanoa Dialogue.
In the remaining weeks up to COP 24, a wide variety of events will be held to advance international climate action. At the Global Climate Action Summit in California (12 to 14 September), cities, regions, businesses and other civil society actors will present their contributions to enhanced climate action. Climate week will take place once again on the fringes of the UN General Assembly in New York (24 to 30 September) - with many events and informal consultations on climate action initiatives and on COP 24. Before COP 24, the Polish Presidency will bring together a representative group of ministers in Poland for the Pre-COP (22 to 24 October) to prepare the conference. Germany will also advance the international debate on implementing the Paris Agreement at these events.