Joe Biden to skip COP28 summit, why his priorities changed?

President Joe Biden has decided not to attend the upcoming United Nations climate summit, known as COP28, in Dubai. This decision comes despite his previous commitments to addressing global warming. The White House has not provided a specific reason for this decision. However, it’s suggested that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has been a significant factor occupying the President’s attention.

John Kerry, Biden’s special envoy for climate change, will be attending the summit in Dubai. Vice President Kamala Harris, however, has no plans to attend COP28.

Biden has been a strong advocate for addressing global warming, even calling it "the ultimate threat to humanity”. He has attended the annual U.N. climate conference for the past two years. In 2021, he traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, for the talks, where he apologized for the United States briefly pulling out of a global climate pact under President Donald Trump.

Climate activists are likely to be angered by Biden’s decision to forgo this year’s U.N. talks. But analysts said it was not typical for a U.S. president to attend every climate summit.

In Dubai, leaders are expected to discuss their progress, or lack thereof, in limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over preindustrial levels. That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say that humans will have trouble adapting to intensifying wildfires, heat waves, drought and storms.

David Victor, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, said the work could be handled by Kerry and others. He also noted that it was not typical for a U.S. president to attend every climate summit.

Biden's COP28 absence: Global impact

President Biden’s decision not to attend the COP28 summit could have significant implications. His absence might be perceived as a lack of commitment from the US, which is one of the world’s largest carbon emitters, to global climate action.

This could potentially undermine the momentum of the summit and discourage other countries from making ambitious commitments.

Furthermore, Biden’s absence might also impact the negotiations and discussions at the summit, particularly those involving the US. His presence could have provided an opportunity for direct dialogue and engagement with other world leaders on critical climate issues.

In past Joe Biden highlights climate urgency

• October 24, 2020: Biden declared climate change as the “number one issue facing humanity” and vowed a national transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
• July 20, 2022: Biden announced executive actions on climate change to address extreme heat and boost offshore wind. On the same day, he made remarks on actions to tackle the climate crisis, stating that climate change is a clear and present danger.
• 2021: Biden attended the annual U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where he apologized for the United States briefly pulling out of a global climate pact under President Donald Trump.
• 2022: Biden made a three-hour stopover in Egypt for the summit, where he reasserted U.S. leadership in the global fight against climate change, and promoted the passage of the country’s most significant climate law.
• Earlier this month: Biden called climate change “the ultimate threat to humanity”.

These statements highlight President Biden’s commitment to addressing climate change. However, his decision to skip the COP28 summit seems to be a departure from his previous stance.

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