Daniel Jasper

Every summer, country representatives and climate professionals gather in Bonn, Germany, for UN dialogues on climate change.

Climate change is often framed as humanity’s greatest challenge. And for good reason. 

Post-election periods are always challenging for issues like climate change, regardless of the outcome. Jubilation following a victory can lead to complacency, and disappointment following a loss can lead to feelings of helplessness.

Unless you're deeply involved in climate policy, you may not be aware that crucial international climate negotiations recently wrapped up in Bonn, Germany. These annual talks laid the groundwork for issues to be discussed at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Despite their importance for global climate action, however, these mid-point meetings don’t get nearly as much attention as they deserve. 

Recently, the new United States and Chinese climate envoys, John Podesta and Liu Zhenmin, met for the first time. The meeting came amid expectations that the Biden administration would increase tariffs on Chinese goods such as EVs, solar equipment, batteries, and critical minerals.

Climate change has given us some sense of how interconnected we all are. 

The 2023 UN Conference of Parties – or COP28 – like its predecessors, concluded with mixed results. Some have lauded the “historic” consensus text which includes the need to “transition” away from fossil fuels. Others have lamented the vague language and non-binding nature of the text which, once again, leaves countries with too much leeway to circumvent real action while giving the appearance of climate leadership.

Editor’s note: Last month, Project Drawdown policy advisor Dan Jasper attended climate negotiations in Bonn to promote climate solutions that also improve human well-being. Hosted by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the negotiations in Bonn provided a space for technical conversations in the lead-up to COP28.

Last week’s release of the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) synthesis report distills almost a decade of the latest climate science into an urgent, systemic call to action — imploring us to mobilize resources to tackle climate change and poverty at the same time if we are to ensure a just and sustainable future.