Highlights and images for 5 June 2024

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded, every increment of global warming matters. Climate change impacts will be vastly different at 2°C of warming compared to 1.5°C. This is especially true for mountain ecosystems.

Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.

On Wednesday, an expert dialogue focused on exactly this topic, discussing impacts, research gaps, and how to accelerate action to enhance the resilience of mountain ecosystems.

Speakers reflected on, among others:

• the importance of mountain regions in the global water cycle and the increasing dependence of lowland populations on mountain water runoff;
• impacts such as glacier loss, reduction of snow cover, and flood events;
• data and research gaps, such as on mountain medicinal plants and invasive alien species;
• the use of citizen science, for example to map water springs;
• Indigenous Peoples’ intricate relationship with mountain ecosystems in terms of cultural and spiritual practice, as well as diets; and
• the importance of transboundary collaboration to accelerate adaptation efforts.

The negotiations on the dialogue on implementing the outcomes of the Global Stocktake (GST) drew such a crowd that the session was moved to plenary to accommodate all interested delegates. The dialogue was established in the outcome of the first GST, with discussions now focused on its operationalization. Delegates are debating whether the dialogue should focus on finance or on the implementation of all aspects of the GST outcome.

Discussions on the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG) progressed as quickly as is possible within the process. Delegates gave the Co-Chairs of the NCQG work programme a mandate to streamline their 63-page-long input paper, with a view to foster meaningful engagement in Bonn. Substantive comments underscored that parties remain divergent on many key points, but all seemed keen to uphold the constructive atmosphere that reigned at the previous work programme meeting.

Delegates also reflected on how to ensure the UNFCCC process is fit for purpose, with many considering the increasing number of agenda items, participants, and events beyond the negotiations as challenging to cope with. Suggested options included:

• encouraging delegations to nominate a maximum of 200 people;
• limiting funding support to delegations with a maximum of 25 people;
• capping the number of side events and exhibits; and
• not holding high-level events.