Spotlight on funding for just transition at Bonn Meetings

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

Divergences on key issues continued at the ongoing Bonn Climate Meetings, which act as a midway point before the annual climate conference (COP30) scheduled to take place in Belem, Brazil this November, slowing down progress on important issues. Embers glow at night as the Basin Fire burns in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County, California, on June 26, 2024. (AFP)
Developed and developing countries sparred over the provision of finance for adaptation and Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) in the past couple of days. The Bonn meetings will close on June 26.
HT reported on June 19 that India and several developing countries have expressed disappointment after a key climate finance discussion was excluded from the Bonn Climate Talks agenda, vowing to raise the issue at November's COP30 summit in Brazil.
The dispute centred on Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which mandates that developed countries provide financial resources to assist developing nations with both mitigation and adaptation efforts including for energy transition. The exclusion of this discussion from the agenda led to a 30-hour delay before talks could begin.
Consultations were taken up on article 9.1 again on Monday, in the context of Just Transition Work Programme. 'Possibly the most heated segment of the day was the consultations by the Subsidiary Bodies' Chairs with parties on the implementation of Paris Agreement Article 9.1 (developed countries' provision of climate finance). Developing countries underscored the inadequacy of current levels of finance, lamenting mounting costs related to loss and damage and the debt burden caused by non-concessional loans,' reported the Earth Negotiations Bulletin of International Institute for Sustainable Development.
The Like Minded Developing Countries which includes India, the Arab group of countries, African group, and others lamented developed countries' lack of political will to implement their legal obligation under Paris Agreement Article 9.1 and UNFCCC Article 4.3 (provision of new and additional financial resources by developed countries). They supported a standalone item on Article 9.1 which was opposed by the EU, Environmental Integrity Group (developed country coalition), and Australia among others who pointed to existing finance-related agenda items that include consideration of Article 9.1, such as the Standing Committee on Finance, the Bulletin said.
Developed countries also tried to block discussions on advancing the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP) and finance consultations for it, according to observers.
'The first week of informal consultations on the Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP)...began with numerous proposals from developing countries on actionable outcomes, amidst continuous attempts from developed countries to limit and block these proposals from advancing the work programme,' the Third World Network said in its bulletin.
Developed countries placed more emphasis on having key high-level messages emerging from the dialogues as important outcomes from JTWP this year, and did not agree to any new institutional arrangement that would have additional financial implications, citing that discussion on any new institutional arrangement is premature, and Parties should wait until the review of the work programme in 2026, TWN, an independent non-profit international research and advocacy organisation involved in issues related to the Global South.
India, speaking in its national capacity, on June 22 also raised its concerns in the use of language such as 'global or international partnerships' as there is concern on whether one would consider these partnerships as 'just' or not. (India was referring to the Just Energy Transition Partnerships – JETPs).
It also raised concerns about the interpretations of just transitions by developed countries reflecting that 'higher ambition is inherently just'.
India said it would agree with it if it is rooted in historical responsibilities and equity as we all agreed that this work programme would be implemented in context of Article 2.2 of the PA. (Article 2.2 of the PA states that, 'This Agreement will be implemented to reflect equity and the principle of CBDR- and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances.'), the TWN reported.
The JTWP was established at COP28 held in Dubai, but its scope and operationalisation are currently being negotiated at Bonn. The aim is to recommend a draft decision for adoption at COP30, to be held in Belém later this year.
'The inclusion of unilateral trade measures (such as carbon border tax) under the JTWP is at the heart of the contestations. G77 and China, the largest developing countries bloc consisting of 134 countries want a discussion on UTM as such measures hinder their ability to eradicate poverty and develop sustainably. Developed countries do not want to discuss that,' said Rudrath Avinashi, Programme Officer, Centre for Science and Environment.
'Additionally, the developed countries want the just transition pathways to be in line with 1.5 degree celsius global temperature goal. As a response, India on behalf of the like minded developing countries have argued that any targets which are global in nature should be rooted in the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities,' he added.
'We are here at Bonn not to engage in a rudimentary exercise in negotiating text, but to enact a critical defence of lives and uphold the right of our countries to thrive,' said Anne Rasmussen, Lead ClimateNegotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in a statement on Tuesday.
'Our world has not yet crossed the Paris Agreement 1.5-degree Celsius limit which refers to a 20-year average, but the most recent scientific reports underscore we are in a far worse danger zone than we previously thought. AOSIS calls on all countries to ensure we do not fail in our mission and destroy our citizens' hopes of a sustainable future,' she added.