Climate negotiations yet to begin in earnest in Bonn

Hard negotiations on the shape and content of an international treaty to tackle global warming have yet to get under way after eight days of talks in Bonn, despite what everyone describes as a “constructive” atmosphere at the latest United Nations conference.

With only 18 months to go before the crucial Paris climate change summit, delegates representing 185 countries are still grappling with the process of reaching agreement, in the absence so far of a draft text to serve as a basis for negotiations.

At a “stocktaking” session that began yesterday afternoon behind closed doors there was widespread support for the two co-chairs – Artur Runge-Metzer of Germany and Kishan Kumarsingh of Trinidad and Tobago – to continue their work, sources said.

Various groups, including the Alliance of Small Island States, expressed confidence in their ability to produce a draft text. But China, supported by the Philippines, called for a more “collective” effort to construct it, involving a more representative group.

“The co-chairs appear to be reluctant to engage parties in direct negotiations when there are still serious disagreements,” said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid. “Instead we have fuzzy process that lets the laggards hide in the confusion.”

With the 20th UN climate conference scheduled to start in Lima, Peru, at the end of November – now due to be preceded by a further round of talks in Bonn – he said: “We need to start direct negotiations, using hope and hard work to bridge the differences.

“There is no sense continuing to delay in the vain hope that consensus will appear. Countries will have to make hard choices and the sooner they face them the more likely we can get a deal. Like a nervous swimmer, they need to take the leap and start swimming.”

One major issue that could make or break a deal is money. Although the Green Climate Fund has been established, to channel finance to poorer countries for mitigating climate change and adapting to it, “there isn’t a red cent in it so far”, as one source put it.

Congolese delegate Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu said that without certainty on finance, developing countries such as his “won’t see much ownership of this process”. Asked by the BBC what could happen, he replied: “I’m not afraid to say so: no money, no fund, no deal in Paris.”