As dozens of heads of state arrived in Azerbaijan this week for the annual United Nations climate change talks, the name of one absentee world leader was on everyone’s lips. Press conference after press conference raised questions about Donald Trump’s election. The US president-elect has threatened to pull the US out of the landmark Paris climate accord and slow the transition to renewable energy.
The Biden administration has sought to project confidence in the early stages of the conference, known as COP29, given the country’s status as the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter of global warming carbon. In a packed press briefing on the first day of the conference, John Podesta, President Joe Biden’s senior climate change aide, said he expects many of Biden’s clean energy accomplishments to bring the U.S. closer to meeting international climate commitments. He said that he expects this to continue in the future. Second Trump administration. He detailed the United States’ latest plans to do its part in keeping global warming below the 2 degrees Celsius threshold set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement, as required by the treaty. He added that he plans to continue publishing the documents.
“In the United States, the work to stop climate change will continue with dedication, passion and conviction,” he said.
But other signs from the meeting suggest that the United States is already retreating from its leading role in the fight against climate change. Developing countries have long criticized the United States as an obstacle to major climate change agreements, particularly on issues of foreign aid to finance energy transitions for poor countries and protect them from natural disasters caused by climate change. Establishing new global goals for this type of international aid is a key topic at this year’s conference, but the center of gravity in negotiations has clearly shifted from the United States to Europe, China, and dozens of developing countries. Significant increase in international aid.
Even Canada, which just announced a $1.5 billion program to help the world’s most vulnerable countries advance climate adaptation projects, is starting to outpace the United States on this issue. Similarly, the headline item on the first day of the conference – a difficult debate over the impact of an agenda structure that pits developing blocs and the European Union against each other over carbon tariffs – did not feature the United States. role.
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In a chat with reporters on the second day of the conference, White House climate leader Ali Zaidi appeared to acknowledge that the United States’ role in climate change negotiations is declining. He vowed that the Biden administration would continue to work toward ambitious global financial goals, but that climate-conscious Americans “want to look for other countries to address that” during the Trump administration. He admitted that he may be thinking that.
“We may have little to offer in terms of predicting leadership certainty,” he said.
Perhaps the clearest indication of America’s diminishing role in global climate issues is the maze of national pavilions spread across the conference grounds of the Baku Olympic Stadium. The U.S. National Pavilion is one of the most modest buildings in the entire complex. It’s an all-white room with a white chair, a white desk, and a TV screen, with no decorations other than a potted plant and a few foamboard posters.
In contrast, the Kazakhstan pavilion next door has a large lighted display with the country’s name and a riser stage surrounded by beautiful blonde wood. The UK Pavilion features a complimentary full-service cappuccino bar and a full-size model depicting London’s distinctive red telephone booth. The Brazil Pavilion is covered in tropical foliage and displays traditional artisan baskets. At Azerbaijan’s homeland pavilion, the wait staff will serve you freshly brewed tea on request.
When Grist mentioned the apparent lack of effort put into his country’s pavilion, a member of the U.S. delegation said, “You’re not the first to say this.” The member said he was “shocked” when he first saw the space, adding that more ambitious initiatives would help “show we care”.
