President Joe Biden will not be attending the latest United Nations climate summit in Dubai, marking the first time in two years that he will miss the talks aimed at showcasing US leadership in climate action, as confirmed by a US official on Sunday.

The upcoming COP28 is expected to draw around 70,000 attendees, including world leaders and Pope Francis, making it potentially the largest United Nations climate summit to date. Despite this, schedules released by the White House indicate that neither President Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris will be traveling to Dubai this week.

Instead of attending COP28, President Biden's agenda includes a trip to Colorado to emphasize US investment in wind energy, a meeting with the president of Angola, and the ceremonial lighting of the national Christmas tree. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Biden has no plans to attend COP28 this week or during a second window close to the end of the talks on December 12. The official also mentioned that the Biden administration is still deliberating whether to send a high-ranking official to Dubai.

In the absence of President Biden, John Kerry, the US climate envoy and former secretary of state, will be leading the day-to-day negotiations for the United States at COP28. The official did not provide a specific reason for Biden's decision, but noted that the President has been preoccupied with the Israel-Hamas conflict for over a month and is keen on emphasizing his domestic agenda with less than a year until the US presidential election.

It has not been customary for US presidents to attend every COP summit. In 2021, Biden traveled to Glasgow to pledge that the United States would once again assume a global leadership role on climate after his predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrew from the Paris climate accord. Trump, who is seeking the White House again, is known for his skepticism about climate change and argues that climate action is too costly for the United States.

Biden's absence from COP28 comes after a brief trip to COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt last year. Domestically, Biden has placed a strong emphasis on climate action, with his signature legislative achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, directing significant funding to the green economy, including incentives for electric cars.

Prior to COP28, John Kerry engaged in extensive discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, with both negotiators pledging to collaborate for progress in Dubai, given that their countries are the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters.

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