Energy prices and Ukraine war no excuse for climate inaction, say experts

theguardian.com:

Governments cannot use geopolitical tensions and soaring energy prices as an excuse for falling behind on their climate commitments, experts and diplomats warned as officials from around the world gathered for talks on the climate crisis in Bonn on Monday.

These are the first UN climate negotiations since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the first since the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November ended with countries pledging to reconvene this year with strengthened commitments on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Patricia Espinosa, the UN’s climate chief, warned: “Climate change is not an agenda we can afford to push back on our global schedule. We need decisions and actions now, and it is incumbent on all nations to make progress in Bonn.”

With less than six months to go before Cop27 in Egypt this November, few countries are yet planning to update their plans on emissions cuts – known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – in line with the goal of limiting global temperature rises to1.5C above pre-industrial levels, as they agreed to do in Glasgow.

Artur Runge-Metzger, a former EU chief negotiator, now a fellow of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin, told the Guardian: “Countries will use Bonn to show where they stand, what their priorities are ahead of Cop27, and they must address the ambition gap [between the pledges made at Cop26 and those needed to hold to 1.5C].

“Everyone knows that coming out of Glasgow, the 1.5C goal was not 100% accomplished – it was a big step forward, but there is still a gap remaining.”

If fulfilled, the pledges on emissions cuts would result in a temperature rise of less than 2C, the first time this milestone has been reached. However, that is still a