Neither Biden nor Kamala Harris will participate in COP28 – 11/27/2023 – Environment

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, will not participate in COP28, the UN (United Nations) climate conference, which takes place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, starting this Thursday (30).

After attending the event for two years in a row with the aim of highlighting American action on the issue, the schedules published by the White House for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris do not show trips to Dubai this week.

Almost 70 thousand people, including heads of state from different countries, are expected to participate in the event. Among them are Brazilian President Lula and Pope Francis.

This should be Lula’s first international trip after having hip surgery in September.

The Pope came down with flu over the weekend, but is already in a “good and stable” state of health, according to the Vatican, and is expected to travel to Dubai on Friday (1st).

A government official confirmed to the AFP news agency that Biden does not plan to travel to COP28 this week, when the summit of world leaders takes place, nor at a later stage of the meeting, which ends on December 12.

Biden’s absence from the summit had been talked about since the beginning of November.

The source, who requested anonymity, said the government was still discussing sending a high-ranking representative to the conference. John Kerry, United States climate envoy, former secretary of state and senator, will coordinate the American delegation in the negotiations.

The official did not provide an explanation for Biden’s decision, which, less than a year before the presidential elections, focuses on the war between Israel and Hamas and also tries to highlight the internal agenda.

Before the Democrat’s trips, it was not usual for the President of the United States to participate in UN climate meetings.

In 2021, he went to Glasgow to promise that the United States would resume a leadership role on the issue, after his predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew the country from the Paris Agreement. Biden also attended COP27 last year in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

At the same time that he prioritized the climate in national politics, with the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which channels billions of dollars into the green economy, the Democrat also approved controversial projects, such as the authorization for oil extraction in Alaska, in the Project Willow.

In the coming days, Biden’s commitments include a trip to the state of Colorado to highlight investments in wind energy, a meeting with the president of Angola and the lighting of the White House Christmas tree.