UN climate negotiations proceeded in Bonn from 2 to 13 June 2008. A broad range of topics were discussed, but one attracted particular attention: the UN climate protection regime post 2012. Dr. Camilla Bausch, Dr. Ralph Czarnecki and Dr. Sebastian Oberthür participated as members of the German delegation and worked on the legal and institutional issues related inter alia to the future regime.

The so called "Bali roadmap" formed the basis for the post 2012 negotiations. This roadmap encompasses inter alia the Bali Action Plan with its AWG LCA, the negotiations in the AWG KP as well as the second review of the KP according to its Article 9. Delegates negotiated during the sessions of the permanent subsidiary bodies of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) and the UNFCCC (SBI, SBSTA) as well as during the meetings of the two Ad Hoc Working Groups under the KP (AWG KP) and under the UNFCCC (AWG LCA).

The negotiations focused on process issues rather than content discussions. Nevertheless, the European Union was able to show ambition by asking for binding 2020 targets for industrialized countries and distinctions within the block of developing countries – e.g. between emerging economies, least developed countries and other developing countries.

There is still a long way to go if the international community wants to successfully reach its goal to agree on a comprehensive future climate agreement by the end of 2009. The negotiations in Bonn showed once more the multiplicity of wishes and ideas regarding the basic features of the future regime. Many positions have yet to be established or clarified before the discussions may be able to conclude.

Further links:

• Ecologic Series of Events: Climate Talk
• Ecologic Project: Design of International Climate Policy
• Ecologic Project: Capacity-Building in the New Member States on further climate change action (post-2012)
• Ecologic Project: Costs of Climate Change
• Ecologic Project: Policy Incentives for Climate Change Mitigation Agricultural Techniques (PICCMAT)
• Ecologic Project: Implementation of the Emissions Trading
• Ecologic Publication: Current Developments – International
• Ecologic Publication: The European Emissions Trading Scheme – Coming of Age?
• Ecologic Veröffentlichung: Climate change-induced water stress and its impacts on natural and managed ecosystems

Keywords: Climate, UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, Kyoto, Kioto, Bausch, Oberthür, Czarnecki, Flexible Mechanisms, Bali Action Plan, Bali, UN, Future Regime, Climate Protection, Article 9, Roadmap, Reduction targets, post 2012, Subsidiary Bodies, Subsidiary Body, SB28, AWG, AWG KP, AWG LCA.