The 2026 Bonn climate talks (SB64) marked the final negotiating session before COP31, offering an important indication of the political dynamics that will shape the next phase of global climate negotiations. Across discussions on climate finance, just transition, and implementation, longstanding disagreements over historical responsibility, accountability, and the role of corporate power remained unresolved. Rather than narrowing these divides, the negotiations once again exposed the political shortcomings of the UN climate process, with Global North countries resisting to confront the structural drivers of the climate crisis including extractivism, militarism, and corporate capture.
Drawing on observations and collective reports from ESCR-Net members and allies on the ground, this article reflects on what these political dynamics reveal about the road to COP31.
