Biden To Skip UN Climate Summit For Second Year In A Row

Source: SAUL LOEB / Getty

President Biden will not participate in the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, scheduled for November 11-22, marking the second year in a row he has missed the event.

Last year, Vice President Harris attended in his place at COP28 in Dubai. The White House has not confirmed if she will represent the administration this year, especially with transition planning possibly underway if she wins the presidential election.

An official list from the State Department detailing the U.S. delegation for this year’s conference identifies senior White House climate adviser John Podesta as the head of the delegation. Other attendees include Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Brenda Mallory, and Biden’s climate adviser Ali Zaidi.

This development indicates that President Biden will not be present to conclude a presidency during which he has aimed to reassure other countries of the U.S.’s commitment to climate initiatives, following former President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. Biden re-entered the international accord shortly after he took office.

Biden is not the only global leader choosing to miss the summit this year; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are also anticipated to be absent from the conference. Together, China, India, and the U.S. represent the three largest national contributors to greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

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