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After two weeks of tense negotiations, the SB62 climate talks in Bonn concluded with a sobering picture: a climate process struggling to keep pace with planetary urgency.
Yet, amidst the stalemates and silences, one breakthrough emerged, civil society’s push to centre Just Transition bore fruit, as their demands were formally included in the UN climate process for the first time.

It was a rare moment of progress in what otherwise laid bare a system in deep crisis when it comes to making concessions on the majority of priority issues. While civil society, frontline communities, and workers brought renewed energy and clarity, many governments, particularly from the Global North, appeared stuck in delay tactics, evasions, and a reluctance to face their historical responsibilities.

“Enough is enough,” said Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of Climate Action Network International.

Tasneem pointed out that while bombs receive billions and polluters continue posting record profits, Bonn once again exposed a system rigged to protect profiteers, complicit in a global order that funds destruction but balks at paying for survival.

The Elephant in the Room in Bonn: Climate Finance

Nowhere was the crisis more visible than in the ongoing failure to deliver climate finance, an issue long pegged to historical injustices and now compounded by ongoing environmental injustices, even as a transition is sought.

As climate impacts intensify across the Global South, developed countries continue to dodge their obligations. This is evidenced by the growing need for adaptation, loss and damage support, and emissions reduction. Yet meaningful financial commitments remained elusive.

Mariana Paoli, Global Advocacy Lead at Christian Aid, reiterated that finance remains the elephant in the room, as witnessed from Baku conversations and the hurdles encountered, urging that they can’t afford another year of delay.

“COP30 must deliver where COP29 fell short,” she said.

According to Nithi Nesadurai of Climate Action Network Southeast Asia, developed countries blocked decisions on their financial obligations across all major climate negotiating items. He pointed out that, in stark contrast, NATO members just kilometers away had committed hundreds of billions in military budgets, proving that finance is available, unlike what was implied in Bonn.

Brazil, as host of COP30 in Belém, has attempted to streamline the agenda to ensure real change and transformation. However, even its efforts were overshadowed by the stalemate on finance.

“Despite Brazil’s best intentions, it may not be possible to make progress on other issues without including a conversation about public finance in the official COP30 agenda,” said Stela Herschmann, Climate Policy Specialist at Observatório do Clima.

Just Transition: A People-Powered Breakthrough

Against this backdrop, civil society secured a significant win. After years of being sidelined, Just Transition, rooted in justice, decent work, and people-first climate solutions, was officially recognized in the process.

“Amidst the dark clouds… There is a ray of sunshine,” said Caroline Brouillette, Executive Director of Climate Action Network Canada.
Adding that the text forwarded to Belém offers us a fighting chance for a COP30 outcome that truly connects workers, communities, and Peoples with the Paris Agreement.

Teresa Anderson of ActionAid International added that if approved at COP30, the Just Transition mechanism would deliver action on the ground.

“It requires governments to put people’s needs first… this represents a major evolution in climate action.”

Even this victory did not come easily. Amiera Sawas of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative remarked that the draft text for the Just Transition Work Programme, informed by workers and Indigenous Peoples, was nearly paralyzed by fossil fuel interests at the end.

She further warned that we cannot afford more paralysis in the negotiations while people on the frontlines pay the price, urging for the urgency to do better, whether inside or outside the UN.

Bonn Exposes Fossil Fuels and the Greenwashing Mirage

The Global North’s continued expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, while simultaneously advocating for climate ambition, was a glaring contradiction that colored many discussions in Bonn.

“Four Global North countries are responsible for 70% of projected oil and gas expansion,” said Romain Ioualalen of Oil Change International.
“Calls for a fossil fuel phase-out from these countries ring hollow and hypocritical.”

“Brazil’s recent approval of new oil extraction in the Amazon is the worst possible signal,” added Sawas, arguing that, as hosts of COP30, the decision undermines the very credibility of their leadership.

Meanwhile, the hope that private finance could fill the funding gap was met with skepticism. Multilateral development banks and development finance institutions remained worryingly absent from proposing real financing solutions.

Paoli emphasized that private finance is starting to resemble a Trojan horse.

“Decisions should be based on community needs, not profits, with a clear view of what is happening globally from climate change impacts.”

“Public, grants-based finance is essential,” said Nafkote Dabi, Climate Policy Lead at Oxfam International.
“Rich countries must stop pushing profit-driven models while dodging their climate debt.”

A Disconnected Process Amidst a Burning World

The sense of detachment between the UN climate talks and real-world crises was a recurring theme, especially as the triple planetary crises intensify with increasing frequency and unpredictability.

According to recent reports, the public is rapidly losing trust in the UNFCCC process, as the stalemates and delays reveal a growing disconnect from the urgent realities on the ground.

IfeKilimanjaro of the U.S. Climate Action Network stated that Bonn confirmed the UNFCCC feels dangerously out of touch with global crises, war, inequality, and a climate already surpassing 1.5 degrees.

With calls for stronger protections for free speech, peaceful protest, and real climate justice grounded in public, grants-based finance, AnnHarrison of Amnesty International added that human rights were again sacrificed at the altar of consensus.

The broader picture is one of imbalance and entrenched power dynamics.

“We do not see the appetite to uphold multilateralism from developed countries,” said Avantika Goswami of CSE India. “Civil society is driving momentum, but all other spaces remain paralyzed by inequity.”

The Road to Belém: A Test of Political Will

As countries turn to COP30 in Belém, expectations are mounting for a course correction, not just to fix what went wrong in Baku, but to restore trust and relevance to the UN climate process.

Andreas Sieber of 350.org opined those negotiators must make progress on implementing the Global Stocktake, closing the ambition gap, and delivering the finance needed to turn ambition into action.

“France… once the proud guardian of the Paris Agreement, is now blocking EU ambition,” warned Gaïa Febvre of Réseau Action Climat France. “The Paris Agreement doesn’t need more ceremony, it needs leadership.”

She added that the window to act is closing; France must choose whether it will honor the legacy of Paris or betray it.

For all the disillusionment, Bonn also affirmed the strength and clarity of grassroots climate movements.

“People’s power shone through,” said Essop. “From the streets of Bonn to the heart of Belém, the fight for climate justice is turning into a roar that cannot be ignored.”