Governments will meet in Bonn, Germany, on Monday for the U.N. Climate Change Conference to discuss the next steps necessary to implement the Paris climate change agreement. Delegates meet for the first time as the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA) and begin to prepare draft decisions on all the issues in the Paris Agreement yet to be decided, such as developing mechanisms to ensure adaptation activities are occurring and a framework for countries to address climate change related loss and damage issues.
The working group’s draft decisions will be provided to the first meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement, which will take place after the accord comes into force. It remains uncertain when that will be, however. The agreement will take effect 30 days after it is joined by at least 55 parties representing at least 55 percent of global emissions. Currently, 177 parties have signed the agreement, and 16 have filed their documents of ratification, acceptance, or approval, the final official step to joining the agreement. These 16 countries, however, represent only .04 percent of global emissions.
The U.S. and China, the world’s two largest emitters, have both committed to joining the agreement before the end of the year. Together, the two nations represent nearly 40 percent of global emissions.
The meeting in Bonn will also serve as a venue to plan for the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to take place in Marrakech, Morocco, in November. The Bonn conference will run through May 26.
