The world has not stopped acting to limit the pollution that is changing the climate, souring our oceans and choking many of our cities.

Overall, the German climate meeting made modest progress at a relatively unspectacular nuts and bolts meeting of governments. The Chair of the meeting has worked hard to find common ground and has produced a new text to facilitate talks towards the Ministers’ meeting in Mexico in December.

The outcomes of the Germany meeting, if countries continue to act in good faith and live up to promises made in Copenhagen, could provide a platform for framework decisions in Mexico that can set the preconditions for greater international cooperation. This cooperation can further accelerate the transformation of the global economy from pollution dependence to clean energy prosperity.

Overall, Australia made positive contributions in several areas, including supporting the world’s most vulnerable peoples’ calls for an assessment on how to achieve very strong global pollution limits.

Obstinacy against reasonable calls for Australia to take responsibility for pollution from forest industries is hanging over the Government like a bad smell. Ensuring companies and industries take responsibility for damaging pollution they cause is central to shifting to from a pollution-dependent to a clean energy and low pollution based economy.

Australia’s work with the USA, Japan and Norway on formally outlining their current short-term help to the world’s poorest countries in reducing pollution, avoiding the destruction of the developing world’s remaining forests and adapting to a changing climate will put pressure on the laggards in Canada and New Zealand to deliver on their Copenhagen commitments. However, Australia missed an opportunity to extend the initial down-payment outlined in the budget and deliver more credible levels of support to the world’s poorest communities.”

Background:

• The Bonn climate talks, held from 31st May to the 11th June in Bonn, Germany, were the first substantial negotiations of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since Copenhagen, in December last year.

• The agenda was packed with many issues, including reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, international climate finance, pollution reductions for developed and developing countries and how to ensure countries remain accountable for their international commitments.

• Countries worked on proposals in each of these areas, and more.  Two more meetings – one in Germany and one in China – will be held before the next meeting of Ministers to be held in the Mexican resort town of Cancun at the end of this year.

• Chair’s text is available at: http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/ad_hoc_working_groups/lca/application/pdf/awg-lca_advance_draft_of_a_revised_text.pdf

Erwin Jackson | Deputy CEO, The Climate Institute