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Biden to skip world leaders’ summit at COP28 climate talks in Dubai [1]
['Maxine Joselow']
Date: 2023-11-26
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President Biden will not attend a world leaders’ summit Friday and Saturday at the outset of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, according to the official White House schedule released Sunday. Sign up for the Climate Coach newsletter and get advice for life on our changing planet, in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday. ArrowRight It was not immediately clear Sunday why the president had decided to skip the gathering this year. Biden has attended the past two annual U.N. climate conferences, and the U.S. climate envoy and other top officials are scheduled to attend this one in the United Arab Emirates.
The decision means the United States will probably face heightened criticism from developing countries that have done the least to cause climate change but are most vulnerable to its consequences, including rising seas and stronger storms. America ranks as the world’s biggest historical emitter of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
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The president has been consumed in recent weeks with the war between Israel and Hamas. But his schedule and news reports show that on Tuesday and Wednesday, he will be in Colorado, where he will attend a fundraiser and visit a wind tower factory.
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On Thursday, the first day of the climate conference known as COP28, Biden is set to meet with Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and participate in the White House Christmas tree lighting. On Friday, the first day of the world leaders’ summit at COP28, there are no public events scheduled. And on Sunday, the president is set to attend the Kennedy Center Honors.
Scores of other world leaders, with varying climate records, have said they will be at COP28. They include Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has vowed to halt deforestation in the Amazon, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who recently delayed U.K. climate goals because of cost concerns.
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One leader expected to bypass the summit is Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met with Biden in California this month. The Chinese delegation will be represented by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua, according to Chinese state media.
It is unclear whether Biden will travel to COP28 for the second week of the negotiations, when other world leaders probably will have left. White House spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández said he had no updates on the president’s planned trips.
“Although we don’t have any travel updates to share for the President at this time, the Administration looks forward to a robust and productive COP28 where Special Envoy John Kerry, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, and Senior Advisor John Podesta, among others, will continue to build on the Administration’s historic actions to tackle the climate crisis,” he said in an emailed statement.
Vice President Harris is also not expected to attend the COP28 leaders’ summit. Her schedule indicates holiday receptions on Friday and Saturday.
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[1] Url:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/11/26/biden-cop28-climate-summit-dubai/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wp_main
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