As negotiators gather in Bonn for the mid-year United Nations climate talks, a key stepping-stone toward the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, governments have an important opportunity to place the fossil fuel phaseout at the heart of global climate action. From 16 to 26 June, over 5,000 government delegates and stakeholders will gather at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany, for the June Climate Meetings – formally called the 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62).

The meetings will build on outcomes from COP29 in Baku, drive forward progress on key issues and prepare decisions for adoption at the upcoming COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, Brazil, in November.

Discussions will focus on a wide range of issues: continuing work to finalize the indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation, advancing a just transition, a pathway to mobilizing $1.3 trillion in climate finance through the Baku-to-Belém Roadmap, and keeping mitigation efforts on track, among other key issues.

Despite the historic commitment at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels, COP29 delivered no meaningful progress. Meanwhile, several governments are planning to increase fossil fuel production supported by ongoing subsidies. Fossil fuels remain the primary driver of the climate crisis, responsible for over 80 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Human Rights Watch reports.

The Bonn conference should lay the groundwork for the transition away from fossil fuels within a clear, time-bound framework.

This year, countries are expected to submit updated national climate plans outlining how they will reduce emissions through 2035. Yet most countries have not submitted updated plans, and many of those submitted so far fall short of aligning with limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Governments should use the Bonn talks to commit to ambitious climate plans that set out concrete milestones, such as ending new fossil fuel exploration and licensing, phasing out government subsidies and ensuring adequate monitoring and accountability.

Bonn is also a moment to fill a serious gap. The COP28 commitment to transition away from fossil fuels has not yet been incorporated in the COP30 agenda. Brazil’s recent call for countries to show how they plan to implement the COP28 commitment should be followed by efforts to ensure this issue is front and center in Belém. As the COP30 host, Brazil has a responsibility to lead.

Governments meeting in Bonn should commit to ambitious national plans and a fossil fuel phaseout. Without bold action now, COP30 risks falling short on delivering a credible response to the climate crisis.