WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden has decided to skip the upcoming UN climate summit, COP28, in Dubai, marking a shift from his previous two years of attendance.
COP28 will take place from November 30 until December 12, 2023. The move is seen as a prioritization of his domestic agenda amid ongoing conflicts and upcoming elections.
The summit, expected to be the largest ever, will host around 70,000 attendees, including national leaders and Pope Francis. However, schedules from the White House indicate that neither Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris will be present.
Biden’s upcoming engagements involve a trip to Colorado to showcase US investment in wind energy, a meeting with the president of Angola, and the ceremonial lighting of the national Christmas tree.
A US official, speaking anonymously, confirmed Biden’s absence from COP28. The administration is reportedly considering sending a top-level official in his place.
John Kerry, the US climate envoy, will take charge of day-to-day negotiations for the United States at the summit. The decision for Biden to sit out comes without a specified reason, but it aligns with his recent focus on the conflict between Israel and Hamas and his attention to domestic priorities leading up to the presidential election.
While it wasn’t customary for US presidents to attend every COP summit, Biden, in 2021, traveled to Glasgow to reaffirm the US commitment to global climate leadership after Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord. Trump, a climate skeptic seeking the White House again, deems climate action too costly for the US.
Biden’s commitment to climate action is reflected in his domestic policies, notably the Inflation Reduction Act, channeling substantial funds to the green economy, including incentives for electric cars.
Ahead of COP28, Kerry engaged in extensive talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, emphasizing collaboration between the world’s two largest greenhouse gas emitters for progress in Dubai.
