Biden’s Climate Agenda on Hold – Why He Won’t Attend COP28?

Heavy Workload Due to the Israel-Hamas War and More
To Be Held in Dubai from the 30th… U.S. Envoy Kelly to Attend
Attention on Whether Results Can Be Achieved at COP28

President Joe Biden has decided not to attend the 28th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP28). This year, it is held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on November 30. It was due to his busy dealing with issues such as hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

The world’s attention to climate change issues has somewhat diminished due to geopolitical crises in Ukraine and the Middle East and concerns about an economic downturn. What results this conference can yield under these circumstances remains to be seen.

The New York Times (NYT) and The Washington Post (WP) reported this news on the 26th, citing White House officials and the official schedule announced.

President Biden has previously highlighted climate change as a crucial policy issue. In this context, he attended the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties for two consecutive years in 2021 and 2022. In his first year in office, he rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, from which the Trump administration had officially withdrawn.

Although the White House has not disclosed the reasons for President Biden’s non-attendance, senior aides stated that the Israel-Hamas conflict, among other issues, has overwhelmed him with work.

Some observers suggest that emphasizing climate change is not a priority right now. The recent poll results show Biden trailing former President Trump ahead of next year’s November elections.

Like President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris will also not be attending COP28, according to her spokesperson. Instead, John Kerry, the President’s special envoy for climate issues, and his team will represent the United States.

In an interview last week, Special Envoy Kerry suggested President Biden’s potential not to attend COP28, mentioning, “They have a lot going on, including the issues of war in the Middle East and Ukraine.” Additionally, he conveyed his intention to demand an immediate cessation of coal-fired power plant construction, particularly in countries such as China, during COP28.

COP is an annual conference of about 200 countries, led by the United Nations (UN), to address climate change issues. Berlin, Germany, hosted the first conference in 1995. The meeting has occurred continuously since then, making this year the 28th, hence the name COP28.

Over 70,000 people are expected to attend the conference, making it the largest ever, and leaders from over 200 countries will be in attendance. This includes King Charles III of the United Kingdom and Pope Francis. Although there were concerns that Pope Francis might not participate due to the flu, he has decided to give a speech at COP28 as planned.

During COP28, scheduled for two weeks starting on the 30th, leaders from various countries will review the progress made in efforts to achieve the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of preventing the Earth’s temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. While the goal has been set, specific implementation plans have not been specified, so the focus will be on assessing the extent of progress.

Bloomberg reported that each country has been facing challenges implementing the Paris Agreement. They also noted that this year, there will be an official evaluation of the progress made by each nation for the first time.

COP28 will also discuss the issue of climate finance. Wealthy countries have promised to provide funds to help developing countries respond to climate change. The review will include the status of these funds, focusing on whether the target amount has been secured on time. Bloomberg reported that the fundraising goal of $100 billion, which was supposed to be achieved by 2020, was finally achieved last year.

However, observers have pointed out that interest in this year’s conference has decreased compared to previous years due to the complex international political situation, such as the recent war between Israel and Palestine, and the burden on national leaders to find concrete ways to achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets.

Foreign media are focusing on whether this conference can produce a joint statement or binding agreement on the last day. There have been instances in the past, like COP21 in 2009 and COP25 in 2019, where significant results were not produced. Bloomberg pointed out that even if countries reach an agreement on a joint statement, it will ultimately fail if many countries do not follow through.

By. Jeong Hyun Jin