Bonn climate talks: CSOs call for progress on implementation of Paris Agreement

Representatives from Climate Action Network, a network of over 1000 civil society organisations working to fight climate change in 120 countries, on Monday May 8, 2017 called on governments to use the climate talks in Bonn to pick up from where they left off in Marrakech in advancing work on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Sven Harmeling, Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator at CARE International, emphasized that the urgency to get the Paris Agreement off the ground is crucial given that impacts from climate change are becoming direr with more droughts in Africa and heatwaves in India.

The scale of ambition has to be commensurate with the urgency that we are seeing from impacts.

Speaking on the specifics of advancing work on implementation, he added.

“We also need to see Parties at Bonn bring more clarity and progress on accounting modalities for climate finance which was a left-over issue from Marrakech.”

Brandon Wu, policy director from ActionAid US, highlighted that as uncertainty on the US’ position on the Paris Agreement continues civil society groups urge the Trump administration to stay in the Agreement but it must also respect the spirit of the Agreement to meet the goals of Paris. “Even at the current scenario we don’t meet the goals of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees C and any move to scale down ambition will definitely not meet this goal- which is what Paris is all about,” he added. There has been a remarkable push from Governors and Mayors to keep the US in the Agreement, he added