Before Paris, Bonn: What Needs to Happen at Prelude to COP21

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines the critical objectives for climate negotiations in Bonn as a prelude to COP21 in Paris. It evaluates the current state of national climate plans and identifies key areas in the co-chairs' draft agreement—including improvement cycles, long-term goals, transparency, finance, and adaptation—that require further clarity and ambition to ensure a strong global agreement.

• While 149 countries representing nearly 90 percent of global emissions have submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), analysis indicates these plans make progress but do not fully achieve the long-term reductions required to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees C (3.6 F).
• The draft agreement's process for reviewing and increasing mitigation action every five years needs more clarity, specifically regarding whether this process begins in 2020 and how mitigation, adaptation, and finance will be regularly enhanced.
• There is a need for a specific long-term emissions trajectory goal, including an option for decarbonization over the century as recently adopted by the G7, while ensuring the framework reflects fairness.
• The current draft lacks sufficient detail on the timeline and mechanisms for countries to converge on a common approach to measuring and reporting emissions, as well as how accountability will be enforced and how developing countries will be supported through capacity building.
• Climate finance goals include scaling up funding after 2020 beyond the $100 billion annual commitment from developed countries, prioritizing grant finance for the most vulnerable, and balancing funding between adaptation and mitigation.
• Adaptation is a central priority, with 80 percent of INDCs including an adaptation component, though the agreement needs more clarity on how communications regarding adaptation actions will inform decisions on support and finance, as well as how to address 'loss and damage' from irreversible impacts.

APA

World Resources Institute (2015). Before Paris, Bonn: What Needs to Happen at Prelude to COP21. https://www.wri.org/insights/paris-bonn-what-needs-happen-prelude-cop21

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Before Paris, Bonn: What Needs to Happen at Prelude to COP21. 2015. https://www.wri.org/insights/paris-bonn-what-needs-happen-prelude-cop21.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Before Paris, Bonn: What Needs to Happen at Prelude to COP21 |date=15 October 2015 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/paris-bonn-what-needs-happen-prelude-cop21 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2015before, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Before Paris, Bonn: What Needs to Happen at Prelude to COP21}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2015}, month = oct, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/paris-bonn-what-needs-happen-prelude-cop21}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }