Simon Steele, Chair of the UN Climate Change Committee, announced that humanity has made significant progress in combating global warming, but is still on a path toward a "catastrophic" rise in temperatures. Steele stated that without the negotiations facilitated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since 1992, "we would face a scenario of a 5-degree increase in global temperatures, where most of humanity might not be able to live." He noted that "currently, we are heading towards an increase of about 2.7 degrees Celsius." Addressing diplomats from around 200 countries, he emphasized that "this path is still catastrophically high, and we have a long way to go to reach our common goal of 1.5 degrees this century," which is the most ambitious target of the Paris Agreement. Steele stressed that "climate action must progress much faster."
Technical negotiations began on Monday in Bonn, Germany, lasting two weeks in preparation for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, in November. Discussions will continue until June 13 at the UN Climate headquarters in Bonn. Diplomats gather in Bonn each June to resolve the most challenging issues in international climate negotiations so that political leaders can reach agreements at the end-of-year COP meetings. This year, the main question revolves around finance: "How much should rich countries pay to help developing nations transition away from fossil fuels and tackle climate change?"
In 2009, wealthy countries, historically the main contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, committed to providing $100 billion in annual aid by 2020. This target was achieved in 2022 for the first time. The 29th COP must conclude with an agreement on a goal for after 2025, but there is no consensus on the amount or direction of the funds.
