The Montreal Conference in December last year was the starting point for negotiations on climate change agreements after 2012. The follow-up congress in Bonn included targets for developed countries, reducing emissions from deforestation in tropical countries and a timeframe for the negotiations. The talks included the convention of all countries (SB24) and of the Ad-Hoc Working Group (AWG) of the richer countries.

Despite the lack of concrete progress in Bonn, most participants showed optimism. WWF’s Jennifer Morgan, director of the global Climate Change Programme for the NGO said, “The brakes are off and the process is moving forward. However, a serious scale-up in the intensity of work is needed or the impacts of climate change will quickly overtake this process if countries are not careful.” Michael Zammit Cutajar, Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group, was equally optimistic: “We have set an ambitious agenda which focuses on a sound process leading towards science-based emission reduction targets on the part of industrialised countries within the next few years. There is a strong sense of urgency and there’s clear consensus that there should be no gap after 2012, when the first commitment period ends.”

The negotiations were preceded by the long-term Dialogue on Future Cooperative Action. This dialogue is for all countries, including the developing countries. It focuses on the exchange of experiences and analysis of strategic approaches for long-term cooperative actions, as was stated in Montreal ‘through an open and non-binding exchange of views, information and ideas.’

“Developed countries must get serious and begin a credible process at home to agree upon the much deeper cuts needed to avoid the worst impacts,” said Morgan. “The next set of targets for developed countries must be much deeper than the current Kyoto targets in order to avoid dangerous climate change.”