Harris replaces Biden at the UN climate conference
Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the annual United Nations climate summit in Dubai on Friday and Saturday, replacing President Biden, who will skip the event for the first time since taking office.
A spokeswoman for Ms. Harris said in a statement on Wednesday that at the summit, known as COP28, the vice president would “underscore the success of the Biden-Harris administration in achieving the most ambitious climate agenda in history, both at home – as abroad. .”
But her presence is unlikely to satisfy some climate activists, who have said Mr Biden’s decision to skip the summit – attended by nearly 200 leaders from around the world – will undermine international efforts to tackle the changing climate to face on earth will undermine.
White House officials have said Biden is preoccupied with other global issues, including the war between Israel and Hamas and securing funding for Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion, which has become the subject of a intense congressional conflict.
Mr. Biden attended the climate summits in 2021 and 2022, raising expectations among some climate activists in the United States that he would miss them this year.
Officials said Ms. Harris would be joined in Dubai by three of the top climate officials in the United States: John F. Kerry, the special presidential envoy for climate; Ali Zaidi, the president’s national climate advisor; and John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation.
At the summit, officials said Ms. Harris will announce several U.S. initiatives related to strengthening climate resilience in other countries and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They said she would also discuss passage of clean energy legislation during the first two years of her administration.
As vice president, Ms. Harris cast the deciding vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides $370 billion in government subsidies for solar panels, electric cars and other technologies designed to reduce emissions. The government calls it the largest investment in climate change by any country.
The White House did not provide a schedule for Ms. Harris at the summit, and did not say whether she would give a speech there or hold a news conference.
In her statement, Kirsten Allen, the vice president’s press secretary, said Ms. Harris would work with other leaders during the summit.
“The Vice President’s participation in COP28 will continue the Biden-Harris Administration’s leadership on bold, global action to address the climate crisis, advance U.S. climate goals and help ensure a strong outcome at COP28 ,” she wrote.