Highlights and images for 8 June 2026

The 2026 June Climate Meetings are off to a good start, at least compared to the last several meetings of the Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At the opening of this session, delegates did not get bogged down in haggles over the SBs’ agendas but instead swiftly agreed to the organization of work, paving the way for substantive negotiations to commence.

This does not mean negotiations in Bonn will be easy, especially as the issue of fossil fuel transition featured prominently across opening statements. Delegates left the last climate conference in Brazil without agreement on this issue. In the meantime, global oil supply chains have been disrupted by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, leading many to underscore the importance of transitioning away from fossil fuels for the sake of both the climate system and energy security.

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

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell cautioned against reopening past debates and remaining entangled in fossil fuel dependency. Türkiye and Australia, as the designated Co-Presidencies of the upcoming thirty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 31) to the UNFCCC, also underscored the need to urgently enhance electrification and the supply of clean energy.

However, while the Environmental Integrity Group encouraged countries to develop fossil fuel transition roadmaps, as recently discussed at the Santa Marta Conference, the Arab Group opposed the inclusion of roadmaps developed outside of the UNFCCC process and denounced a politicization of the process through targeting specific emission sources.

In the meantime, the COP 30 Presidency is using the June Climate Meetings to advance consultations aimed at informing the development of another roadmap, on a somewhat less contentious issue: halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. Many Parties welcomed this initiative and, noting the short window of opportunity until 2030, urged a strong focus on practical actions. Several Parties also highlighted the need for buy-in from all relevant stakeholders, especially Indigenous Peoples. Later in the week, the COP Presidency will also consult with observers.

A number of mandated events also took place during the day, including on the new work programme on climate finance, with Parties debating its scope and modalities.