President Biden Not Expected to Attend Global Climate Summit
President Joe Biden is not expected to attend the opening of the global climate summit in Dubai this week, according to a White House schedule of the president’s events.
US Officials to Represent Biden at Climate Summit
Instead, top US officials, including special envoy John Kerry and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, will go to the gathering, which will be attended by nearly 200 countries.
Biden has made tackling climate change a cornerstone of his policy agenda and his reelection bid as young voters continue to point to it as a key issue going into 2024. Since taking office, Biden has attended the annual UN climate summit in person in 2021 and 2022. It’s unclear whether Biden may participate virtually this year.
The move has the potential to frustrate climate advocates both at home and abroad, though some activists and small island nations have called into question the effectiveness of the annual international climate summit process.
Concerns Over US Presence at COP28
Although US presidents historically haven’t attended every international climate summit, Biden skipping would be notable, said Tom Evans, a policy adviser for international climate think tank E3G.
“It’s definitely a shame that he won’t be there. When he’s not part of the conversation, that shows the US that’s not fully at the table at the highest level,” Evans said, adding that not attending in person is a “missed opportunity” ahead of the 2024 election.
“This will be the final COP before the US election – the US election might happen during the next COP,” he told CNN.
Mixed Reactions to US Climate Policy
A July Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that 57% of Americans disapprove of the way Biden has handled climate policy, including 59% of voters 18-29 years old. Seventy-four percent of Democrats said they approved of how Biden had addressed the issue, but just 40% of independents and 8% of Republicans agreed.
The administration’s handling of climate change reflects a larger pattern ahead of next year’s general election. Recent polls show Biden receiving low approval ratings from voters and trailing former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, in battleground states. At the same time, the administration has struggled to promote its signature achievements in a way that resonates with voters.
