Climate Change Progress, The US Withdrawal and What We Can Expect from COP23

Photo: Wikimedia, COP_23_Fidschi_Bonn
Photo: Wikimedia, COP_23_Fidschi_Bonn

In light of the US announcement of their withdrawal from the Paris Agreement (PA) in June 2017, continued political momentum and actual outcomes at forthcoming climate change summits are needed to strengthen trust in the multilateral climate response and reinforce global commitment to the PA.

From 6-17 November 2017, nearly 200 countries will convene in Bonn, Germany to advance progress on climate change action. The 23rd meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an important milestone, within a much longer negotiating process, to finalise the technical aspects for the implementation of the PA – a global framework agreed to in 2016 that set out international climate action in the post-2020 period. Many of the details on the implementation modalities, procedures and guidelines to operationalise the PA are yet to be finalised – a process that needs to be concluded by COP24 in November 2018. In order to move forward negotiating parties need clarity on a number of key issues, including assistance with the means of implementation, such as unlocking climate finance, capacity building and technology transfer. COP23 is also an important stocktaking opportunity to assess the cumulative contributions of national actions to date.

The views expressed in this publication/article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).