Bonn, Germany – 16 June 2025 – With the climate clock ticking and global warming already triggering record-breaking weather events across continents, world climate negotiators convened today in Bonn for the UNFCCC’s 2025 Mid-Year Climate Conference (SB62). Held at the World Conference Center Bonn, the session runs from 16–26 June 2025, gathering over 4,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries for intensive technical talks that will shape the global agenda leading up to COP30 in Brazil later this year.
What Is the Bonn Climate Conference?
Often described as the “engine room” of international climate diplomacy, the Bonn Climate Change Conference is not a political summit, but rather a technical negotiation platform. It brings together the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The goal? To transform science into action—building consensus, drafting decisions, and closing knowledge gaps that heads of state will debate and finalize at COP30 this November in Belém, Brazil.
Where and When
- Venue: World Conference Center Bonn, Germany
- Dates: 16–26 June 2025 (preceded by coordination meetings from 9–15 June)
- Organized by: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Who’s Attending
This year’s conference has drawn approximately 4,000–5,000 participants, including:
- Climate negotiators from UN member states
- UN climate secretariat officials
- NGOs and observer organizations
- Youth climate activists
- Indigenous and civil society leaders
- Scientists, researchers, and media
Key Topics on the Agenda
The SB62 talks are centered around several urgent and complex climate issues:
1. Loss and Damage Fund Implementation
Final steps in operationalizing the global fund established to assist countries facing irreversible climate impacts like rising seas and extreme droughts.
2. New Climate Finance Goal (NCQG)
Negotiations to replace the previous $100 billion climate finance target with a more ambitious, quantifiable goal—potentially reaching $1.3 trillion annually by 2030.
3. Carbon Markets (Article 6)
Finalizing guidelines for transparent and credible international carbon credit trading, a cornerstone of cross-border emissions cooperation.
3. Adaptation and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)
Strengthening the framework to help vulnerable nations adjust to climate disruptions, from food insecurity to infrastructure resilience.
3. Next Generation of NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions)
Crafting technical pathways for countries to submit stronger, more aligned climate targets in 2026 as part of the Paris Agreement’s 5-year review cycle.
4. Just Transition and Right-Based Climate Action
Side events and roundtables are focusing on gender equality, Indigenous rights, climate justice, sustainable agriculture, and green jobs.
Why This Conference Matters?
While Bonn lacks the political drama of COP summits, it plays a foundational role in shaping future climate action. It is here that technical decisions are debated, compromise is crafted, and trust is built—or eroded.
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, opened the conference by urging negotiators to “turn words into workable frameworks” and warned that “the decisions made in Bonn will echo loudly in Belém.”
What’s at Stake?
- Trust in Climate Finance: Many developing nations are frustrated by unmet finance pledges. The Bonn talks aim to rebuild trust with new frameworks and more predictable climate funding.
- Carbon Market Integrity: A credible system under Article 6 could unlock billions in climate investments. A weak deal could erode confidence and delay progress.
- Preparedness for COP30: SB62 sets the technical groundwork. Without clear results in Bonn, negotiators in Belém may face a gridlocked agenda.
Looking Ahead: COP30 in Brazil
All eyes are now on COP30, scheduled for 10–21 November 2025 in Belém, deep in the heart of the Amazon. It will be the first COP held in the Amazon region and is expected to focus heavily on forests, Indigenous leadership, and the implementation of the Global Stocktake outcomes from COP28.
Brazil is also expected to formally launch the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a multilateral fund aimed at preserving carbon-rich ecosystems.
Summary
The Bonn Climate Conference 2025 is a pivotal mid-year checkpoint—a place where negotiators aren’t making headlines, but making the deals that shape our climate future. From finance to forests, equity to emissions, what happens in Bonn will resonate far beyond its conference halls.
As the planet continues to heat, the real question is: will the political will catch up with the science—before it’s too late?
