I began writing this from the first of three airplanes that would eventually take me to Bonn, Germany, the site of this year’s international climate negotiations. Beginning on Monday, thousands of diplomats, lawyers, scientists, and policy analysts from around the world will descend on this tiny town on the Rhine to negotiate the details of the sweeping climate agreement adopted in Paris on 2015.

The Paris Climate Agreement, which entered into force last year, was a landmark moment in international climate cooperation. It marked the first occasion on which the international community agreed to a framework of universal action on climate change. For the first time, both developed and developing countries were required to submit self-determined pledges on their intended contributions to the international effort. These are to be reviewed every five years, with the aim of enhancing ambition in pledged action over time.

After decades of disagreement on how efforts should be distributed amongst countries, this system of universal pledge and review was considered by many to be a breakthrough. Nevertheless, many details of the Agreement’s implementation still need to be worked out. This year’s Conference of the Parties (COP) is intended to do just that.

World Conference Center Bonn. Source: UNFCCC

Paris was what some observers refer to as a “big COP:” groundbreaking deals were made, sweeping goals were set, and the world watched as the nation’s Heads of State agreed to redouble effort to tackle one of the world’s most pressing problems. Bonn, in contrast, is what is known as a “small COP.” In Bonn, negotiators will focus on fleshing out the “rulebook” for implementing the provisions of the Paris Agreement. Where the outcomes of Paris were exciting and transformative, the outcomes of Bonn will be technical and procedural. In Paris, COP 21 promised a new platform for global action. In Bonn, COP 23 will try to hammer out the details. Topics on the table for negotiation in Bonn include provisions related to transparency, emissions accounting, climate finance, and emissions trading.

I will personally be closely following the discussion of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which provided for the creation of a system of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes or ITMOs. Not sure what that means? That may be by design—certain Parties to the Paris Agreement opposed including language in the Agreement that specifically referenced market mechanisms for achieving emissions reductions. ITMOs were proposed as an acceptably vague alternative that conveyed the concept of carbon markets without the controversy associated with many market-based terms. Now, negotiators at COP 23 are tasked with figuring out how translate a provision that was intentionally designed to be ambiguous into concrete policy and procedure.

I’m looking forward to following along as the conversation evolves over the coming week in Bonn, Germany. I’ll be reporting back on what I learn as the week unfolds, so stay tuned.