• The 62nd sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) began on June 16 at the World Conference Center Bonn in Germany. It will conclude on June 26. 

• Over 250 scientists from 27 countries, including India, have written to the president of this year's UN climate conference, urging him to make the transition away from fossil fuels a top priority for COP30.

• This mid-year climate conference brings together the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) to advance negotiations on key issues such as adaptation, mitigation, climate finance, and transparency. 

• Climate physicist and signatory Bill Hare handed over the letter in person to COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago during the mid-year climate conference in Bonn, Germany.

• Fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — account for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

• At COP28 in Dubai in 2023, countries reached a landmark agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. However, not much progress was made on the issue at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

• The Brazilian government has come under fire for auctioning oil blocks in the Amazon, which is set to host COP30, without consulting local communities and ignoring the climate crisis.

• The mid-year UN climate meetings under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held annually in Bonn help countries work out technical details before the annual UN COP.

• The outcomes of SB62 are expected to shape the agenda and inform decisions at COP30 later in the year.

• Brazil will host and preside over the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in November 2025. 

• COP30 will mark 20 years since the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and 10 years of adoption of the Paris Agreement.

What is COP?

• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a multilateral treaty adopted in 1992, shortly after the first assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990, to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system. 

• Since entering into force in 1994, the UNFCCC has provided the basis for international climate negotiations, including landmark agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015).

• The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of the UNFCCC.

• It brings together 198 countries and the European Union.

• The inaugural COP gathering took place in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995, and today the COP secretariat is headquartered in Bonn. 

• COPs serve as the formal meeting place each year for the Parties to negotiate and agree on how to tackle climate change, reduce emissions and limit global warming. A primary task at COPs is the examination of national reports and emission inventories submitted by participating countries.

• These reports offer essential insights into each country’s actions and their progress toward achieving the overarching goals of the Convention.

• COPs are meant to be inclusive affairs and, as well as world leaders and government representatives, a diverse range of people from all aspects of society, from business leaders and climate scientists to Indigenous Peoples and youth, are involved, taking part in order to share insights and best practices to strengthen climate action that benefits all.

• COPs are hosted annually in different countries. COP29 was held in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. 

• The COP presidency rotates among the five recognised UN regions — Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe and others. This rotation ensures that different corners of the world have the opportunity to host and showcase their commitment to addressing climate challenges.

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