Matt is an environment correspondent.

Image source, David McNew

John Kerry warned against using the war in Ukraine as an excuse to prolong global reliance on coal.

A number of large countries did not live up to their promises, according to Mr Kerry.

Climate diplomats are meeting again today in Bonn.

Mr Kerry said "we are cooked" if countries extend their reliance on coal.

The cost of living crisis and Russia's invasion of Ukraine are likely to test the unity shown in Glasgow last November.

As a world, we are still not moving fast enough to rein in the emissions of warming gases that are driving up temperatures, according to Mr Kerry.

The former senator said that it will require a "wholesale elevation of effort by countries all around the world".

A leading Ukrainian scientist called for delegates to speed up their transition away from fossil fuels.

Oil and gas were the cause of war, according to Dr. Svitana Krakovska.

Today's meeting in Bonn, which will last until the end of next week, is much smaller thanCOP26 and is mostly a technical negotiation.

It happens halfway between the big conferences in Glasgow and COP 27 in Egypt.

The talks will be carried out by civil servants with limited political input and will review progress on a number of issues.

The analysis shows that little has been accomplished.

A rapid rise in the price of gas led to an energy crisis. Problems in global supply lines have been made worse by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Governments are worried about security of supply and have seen prices for fossil energy shoot up.

Image source, Jeff J Mitchell
Image caption, COP26 President Alok Sharma at the conclusion of talks in Glasgow - He recently told MPs that political leaders were distracted from climate issues by war and cost of living crises

The governments have promised to submit new plans by September. India is one of the countries that are on the list of lagging countries.

Climate is still seen as a major issue by political leaders, especially in the light of the recent heatwaves in India and Pakistan, which were linked to human use of fossil fuels.

If that is true, the discussions in the former West German capital will tell us.

Alex Scott from E3G thinks that the Bonn talks will be a test of political will.

Is there a genuine commitment to make the changes in policy and spending plans that are needed to address these issues?

It's not known if Russia and Ukraine will send delegates to this event.

Image source, Wally Skalij
Image caption, Wild fires in the US are outpacing the ten year average with a season of major conflagrations expected

Climate isn't a critical issue at the moment according to Dr Svitlana Krakovska, who led the Ukrainian delegation.

She hopes that negotiations will recognize the role fossil fuels are playing in the war, and act quickly to transition away from them.

She said that the war was caused by oil and gas.

This is the time for everyone to stop using so much energy and think about our way of life.

The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air says fossil fuel prices are unprecedented.

Clean energy is very competitive at the moment.

In India, the government has decided to open more than 100 coal mines that were previously considered uneconomical.

Roughly 20% of the UK's entire solar installation was done in three months.

In Europe, which has tabled plans for a swift move away from Russian energy, many countries are looking for alternatives to fossil fuels.

The worry for environmentalists is that Germany is spending money on long-term fossil infrastructure, such as the recently announced plans for new Liquefied Natural Gas terminals. The use of natural gas could be extended.

According to the most recent assessment, China has experienced the longest decline in carbon output in at least a decade.

Image caption, Workers in China install solar panels at a tidal power station - green energy sources are rising rapidly even as coal production increases as well

Emissions have fallen since last summer and were down in the first quarter of the next year.

Last year the real estate market slowed down. Because of the resurgence of Covid-19 and the re-introduction of lockdowns, economic activity has stopped.

In China, the production of electric cars and trucks has doubled in a year.

In the first four months of the year, the number of wind turbine and solar farms coming on stream was up 100% compared to the same period in the previous year.

Observers think that China's emissions will fall this year with implications for the rest of the world.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption, Oil drilling in the Permian basis in Texas has ramped up as a result of US restrictions on Russian energy imports

"We could see less emissions this year because of increased prices for fossil fuels and because China's economy is in a tailspin," said the researcher.

The US has seen another oil boom even though President Biden has been unsuccessful in getting climate legislation on the statute books.

The flow of crude from the Permian basin is expected to increase by 1 million barrels per day this year.

Russia and Saudi Arabia are the only countries that have lower production than West Texas.

Carbon emissions need to be slashed in half by the year 2030.

Recent evidence from the UK Met Office shows that there is a 50% chance that the temperature will go past the threshold in the next five years.

Image caption, A woman seeks some relief from scorching temperatures in India

Many developing countries and small island states have questions about the effects of a 1.5C increase on sea levels.

They worry that the lack of political focus by richer nations is increasing the threat.

Ambassador Conrod Hunte, the lead negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States in the Bonn talks, said that the war and cost of living should not be used as an excuse to let the 1.5C goal slip out of reach.

Climate finance is essential to keeping us on this path.

Participants think there are some grounds for optimism despite the many problems.

The energy crisis has made discussion of heat pumps and electric vehicles part of the mainstream.

The success of climate-focussed candidates in Australia's recent election indicates that voters may be more sensitive to voices who are connecting the global crises to rising temperatures

The Bonn talks could be a good time to address climate and other challenges.

"It is possible for governments to seize this opening to tackle these crises, and take advantage of the opportunities, and build the kind of co-operation globally that's needed," said David Waskow, from the World Resources Institute.

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