US President Joe Biden will not be in attendance at the upcoming COP28 summit in Dubai, as confirmed by a US official on Sunday. Despite Biden's absence, John Kerry, the US climate envoy,

will be leading negotiations for the United States during the event.

Expected to be one of the largest UN climate summits, with around 70,000 participants, including global leaders and Pope Francis, COP28 will commence this Thursday. The schedules released by the White House indicated that neither Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris would be heading to Dubai this week.

Instead, Biden's itinerary includes a trip to Colorado to emphasize US investments in wind energy, a meeting with the president of Angola, and the ceremonial lighting of the national Christmas tree. The US official confirmed that Biden would not attend COP28 this week or during a subsequent window near the talks' conclusion on December 12.

Although the reason for Biden's absence was not explicitly provided, the administration is contemplating whether to dispatch a high-ranking official to the summit. Meanwhile, John Kerry, a key figure in climate negotiations, will manage the day-to-day discussions for the United States.

Biden's prior attendance at COP summits was a departure from tradition, with his appearance in Glasgow in 2021 marking the US's renewed commitment to global climate leadership after Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris climate accord. Despite not attending every COP summit, Biden has been prioritizing climate action domestically, exemplified by his legislation directing substantial funding toward the green economy, particularly in incentivizing electric vehicle adoption.

Ahead of COP28, Kerry engaged in substantial discussions with China's climate representative, Xie Zhenhua, underscoring a joint commitment between the world's largest carbon emitters to advance progress at the Dubai summit. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.