In Bonn, Germany, the international community began its work to implement the historic climate change treaty—known as the Paris Agreement, which was agreed upon in December 2015. While setting forth significant high level commitments, the Paris Agreement is light on details and delegates the extensive work needed to develop the actual implementation of the Paris Agreement to UNFCCC-convened working groups. In Bonn, the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA 1) will meet along with continuing sessions of other subsidiary bodies that already exist under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (e.g., 44th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice). The directive to the parties in Bonn is to take steps to operationalize the Paris Agreement as soon as possible and take forward the work programmes set forth in the Paris COP Decisions 1/CP.21 in a comprehensive, coherent and balanced manner.
Of course, all of the work in Bonn presupposes that the Paris Agreement will come into force. Unlike the Kyoto Protocol which took nearly ten years to become effective, the ratification of the Paris Agreement is occurring swiftly and with some concerned that the effective date of the agreement could actually predate the work programmes needed to operationalize the agreement. The various bodies meeting in Bonn will be pressured to make good progress on the work needed in advance of the entry of force of the Paris Agreement. The work in Bonn will also include preparations for the first session of the Conference of the Parties meeting as the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA), which will occur in November 2016 in Morocco, Marrakesh.
Baker & McKenzie has three members of its Environmental Markets Team in Bonn—Rick Saines, Martijn Wilder and Ilona Miller.
For an in-depth analysis of the Paris Agreement, please review our recent Client Briefing.
