President Biden will skip the United Nations climate summit that begins Thursday in Dubai amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, according to a report Sunday.
Biden, who just weeks ago called climate change “the ultimate threat to humanity,” will not be among the leaders of nearly 200 countries attending the two-week event, known as COP28, a White House official told the New York Times.
The official who requested anonymity to discuss the president’s plans did not provide a reason for his absence, but senior aides told the publication that Biden has been preoccupied by the deadly conflict in Gaza and Israel.
“You have the war in the Middle East and a war in Ukraine, and there are a lot of things going on,” John Kerry, Biden’s special envoy for climate change, said last week.
Kerry and his team will attend the summit in Biden’s place. Leaders, including even King Charles III and Pope Francis, are expected to attend.
Biden will not attend the annual UN climate summit that begins on Thursday, according to a White House official.REUTERS This year’s summit, known as COP28, will be the first Biden will miss as president. REUTERS
The Dubai summit will be the first U.N. climate conference — an annual event held in a different location each year — that Biden will miss since taking office.
In 2021, he flew to Glasgow, that year’s host country, for the global event and apologized to other countries for the United States’ brief departure from participating, when his predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew and mocked climate change, depending on the medium.
Last year, Biden made a quick three-hour stopover in Egypt to attend the conference.
The annual climate event takes place in a different location each year and this year it will be held in Dubai. ALI HAIDER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Most former US presidents have not attended the summit every year, but Biden’s absence could likely spark backlash from climate activists.
Officials at the summit will examine and discuss their stance on limiting greenhouse gas emissions and global warming temperatures.
The world must cut emissions 43% below 2019 levels by 2030 to avoid the catastrophic effects caused by climate change, scientists say, the Times reported. Current plans, however, would only reduce emissions by 7%.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn