Environment & ClimateImportant2025-06-16

UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB 62)

In News

What Happened

The 62nd session of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB 62) took place in Bonn, Germany, from June 16-26, 2025. Serving as a critical technical bridge between COP29 in Baku and COP30 in Belém, the conference focused on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), revising Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and advancing the UAE Just Transition Work Programme. Negotiators prioritized streamlining adaptation indicators and pushing forward the climate finance roadmap.

Why It Matters

For India and the Global South, SB 62 is crucial for ensuring that climate adaptation and equitable energy transitions are backed by actual financial commitments. These technical negotiations determine how developed nations will be held accountable for the $1.3 trillion climate finance target and ensure that 'Just Transition' policies respect the developmental realities of emerging economies.

Background

History & Context

The UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) meet every June in Bonn to lay the technical groundwork for the annual COP. The UAE-Belém Work Programme was established to develop concrete indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) first conceptualized under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Concurrently, the UAE Just Transition Work Programme was launched at COP28 to ensure that the global shift to low-carbon economies is equitable and inclusive.

What Changed

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GGA Indicators: BEFORE SB 62, there was an unwieldy list of 489 proposed indicators for tracking the Global Goal on Adaptation. NOW, negotiators worked to streamline these to fewer than 100 practical metrics, explicitly prioritizing 'Means of Implementation' (finance, capacity building, and technology transfer).
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Just Transition Scope: BEFORE, just transition discussions primarily revolved around mitigating job losses in the fossil fuel and energy sectors. NOW, the framework has formally expanded to integrate health systems, water, and climate resilience, viewing transition through a broader socio-economic adaptation lens.
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NDC Preparations for COP30: BEFORE, earlier NDCs often lacked standardized integration of water and adaptation metrics. NOW, technical guidelines were advanced to mainstream water resilience and detailed adaptation finance needs into the upcoming round of NDCs due for COP30.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This connects to the 'Environmental Issues' chapter in Class 12 Biology and 'Climate, Vegetation & Soil' in Class 11 Geography. The negotiations on the Global Goal on Adaptation operationalize the theoretical need to build resilient ecosystems, combat desertification, and mitigate the adverse impacts of global warming discussed in the curriculum.

Practice Questions

Q1

Correct Statement(s)

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the UNFCCC SB 62 (Bonn Climate Conference 2025)? 1. It successfully finalized the UAE-Belém Work Programme by limiting the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) indicators to exactly 10. 2. The conference advanced the UAE Just Transition Work Programme by expanding its focus to include adaptation and climate resilience.

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