Why Did Joe Biden Think It Was Acceptable to Skip This Weekend’s Massive Climate Change Conference?

We all know climate change is massively important. It’s just, you know, the entire planet, right? Yet President Joe Biden has decided to skip this weekend’s important COP28 climate change conference.

COP stands for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention. This is a part of the United Nations’ climate change efforts and it brings together countries from across the globe to try to reach decisions on slowing and adapting to the climate crisis. COP21 led to the Paris Climate Agreement, which you may have heard of—it’s that thing Trump and Republicans think is unimportant. Anyway, this year’s conference hopes to urge G20 nations to lead when it comes to solving the climate emergency.

The COP28 is happening now in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which not everyone is happy about, given that the UAE is one of the world’s top oil producers. In fact, according to documents made public by a whistleblower, “the Emirates has sought to use its position as host to pursue a contradictory goal: to lobby on oil and gas deals around the world,” writes the New York Times. “These and other details […] are indications, experts said, that the U.A.E. is blurring the boundary between its powerful standing as host of the United Nations climate conference, and U.A.E.’s position as one of the world’s largest oil and gas exporters.”

On top of being upset over the host location, a lot of people were also irritated and confused when it was announced that President Biden wasn’t going to attend.

Former U.S. Secretary of State and Massachusetts Senator John Kerry (pictured above) is in Dubai acting as a special presidential envoy for the conference but that does not feel like enough. Tom Evans, who is a policy adviser for the E3G climate think tank, told CNN that Biden’s skipping was “a shame.” Sure, Biden has a lot going on (he’s said he’s staying in the U.S. to focus on the situation in Gaza) but he has promised that climate change is one of his top priorities, and even on a symbolic level, his decision to skip this massive conference is a terrible look.

After much backlash to the decision, it’s been announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will be attending the conference on behalf of the US delegation. Harris has been speaking about this issue including traveling to talk to young voters. The VP will discuss the Biden/Harris administration’s extensive climate agenda which is—at least relative to many recent predecessors—very progressive. 

Remember when Trump slammed the Paris Climate Agreement? I do. Remember how during Republican debates, some candidates (Ramaswamy) called climate change a hoax? I do. Biden on the other hand, has had some significant achievements. He signed the Inflation Reduction Act which includes some key climate provisions such as reducing carbon emissions. Still, my generation and younger are not happy. This is an emergency and needs to be treated as such.

Controversies aside, COP28 has the potential to be a huge event. Politically speaking, this issue is going to be massive in the 2024 elections. Millennials and Gen Z voters really resonate with those who seem to care about the climate crisis. With Republicans offering virtually no solutions, we need strong messaging from the Biden administration. His decision to skip this event was an undeniable misstep in appealing to those voters and making young people feel heard and respected, but let’s hope Harris will help lead actual meaningful progress in this critical area.

(featured image: Mahmoud Khaled / COP28 via Getty Images)

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