As dozens of heads of state arrived in Azerbaijan this week for the United Nations’ annual climate talks, the name of one absent world leader was on everyone’s lips. At the press conference after the press conference, questions were raised about the election of Donald Trump. The US president-elect has withdrawn the US from the landmark Paris climate agreement for the second time and threatened to slow the country’s transition to renewable energy.
The Biden administration sought to project confidence early in the meeting, known as COP29, considering the United States is the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter of global warming carbon. John Podesta, President Joe Biden’s top climate adviser, told a packed news conference on the first day of the meeting that many of Biden’s clean energy achievements are expected to bring the United States closer to international climate commitments. Second Trump administration. He added that the United States will continue to release documents detailing updated plans to do its part to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
“Efforts to curb climate change will continue in the United States with commitment, passion and conviction,” he said.
But other signs from the meeting suggest that the United States has already withdrawn from being a major player in the fight against climate change. Developing countries have long accused the United States of interfering with major climate agreements, particularly foreign aid issues that help poor countries finance the energy transition and protect themselves from climate-driven natural disasters. Establishing new global goals for this kind of international aid is a major agenda item for this year’s conference, but the focus of negotiations has clearly shifted from the United States to Europe, China and dozens of developing countries pushing for aid. International support has increased significantly.
Even Canada, which announced a $1.5 billion program to help the world’s most vulnerable countries pursue climate adaptation projects, is starting to get ahead of the United States on this issue. Likewise, the headline items from the conference’s first day – an arcane squabble over the implications of an agenda structure that pits the developing world bloc against the European Union over a carbon tariff regime – did not feature the United States as a starring role. role.
Five issues to pay attention to at COP29 are as follows:
In a chat with reporters on the second day of the conference, White House climate change czar Ali Zaidi appeared to acknowledge the United States’ diminished role in climate talks. He pledged that the Biden administration would continue to work toward ambitious international financial goals, but acknowledged that climate-conscious Americans during the Trump administration may want “other countries to step up.”
“We may have less to offer in terms of prospects for leadership certainty,” he said.
Perhaps the clearest sign of America’s diminished role in global climate issues is the maze of national pavilions spread throughout the conference hall of Baku’s Olympic Stadium. The American National Pavilion is one of the shabbiest things in the entire complex. It’s a simple, white room with a white chair, a white desk, a television screen, and no other decorations except a flower pot and a few foam board posters.
In contrast, the Kazakhstan pavilion next door has a large light display with the country’s name and a stage on risers surrounded by beautiful blond trees. The UK pavilion features a free full-service cappuccino bar and a life-size model depicting London’s iconic red phone booth. The Brazilian pavilion is decorated with tropical foliage and displays baskets made by traditional artisans. In Azerbaijan’s home pavilion, waiters serve fresh tea upon request.
When Grist commented on the apparent lack of effort put into his country’s pavilion, the U.S. delegation said, “You’re not the first person to say this.” The member said he was “shocked” when he first saw the space, adding that a more ambitious effort would have helped “show that we care.”
