Current:Home > StocksHarris heads to Dubai to tackle delicate tasks of talking climate and Israel-Hamas war-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Harris heads to Dubai to tackle delicate tasks of talking climate and Israel-Hamas war
lotradecoin servicequality View Date:2024-12-25 15:46:35
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will tackle two delicate tasks this weekend in Dubai: She’ll try to demonstrate U.S. environmental leadership despite President Joe Biden ‘s notable absence from an annual summit on climate change and she’ll work to nudge forward fragile efforts to shape the next phase of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Harris has only a brief opportunity to accomplish either goal while she’s in the United Arab Emirates. She leaves Washington on Friday and is scheduled to appear only briefly at the United Nations conference known as COP28. Like most vice presidents, Harris is expected to hew tightly to administration talking points on controversial issues where any divergence could ricochet around the globe.
Her public remarks, however limited, will be closely scrutinized.
Activists are eager for any boost in the fight against climate change, which experts warn is lagging behind what’s needed to prevent damaging global warming. And Harris will be the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit an Arab nation since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, where anti-American sentiment has been inflamed by Washington’s support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Administration officials said Harris will be delivering remarks at the climate summit on Saturday and holding bilateral meetings with regional leaders.
But details on her schedule remain scarce and the trip appears to have been hastily arranged. As recently as last week, Harris’ staff said she had no plans to attend the climate conference, known as COP28. White House officials have not explained the change in plans.
Biden attended the last two U.N. summits, which were held in Scotland and Egypt, but he dissappointed some environmental activists by his decision to skip this one.
Manish Bapna, head of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said it’s “so important” for Harris to be there on behalf of the president and his administration.
“She’s representing concrete U.S. progress — from significant investments in clean cars and clean energy to a crackdown on dirty power plants,” Bapna said. “There’s much work ahead to lock that progress in and build on it — but it’s a complete turnaround from where we stood even a year ago.”
The Dubai gathering will include a first-ever assessment of how well the world is doing in its battle against global warming. Known as the “stocktake,” countries will examine their progress since the Paris agreement in 2015, seeing how much they’ve fallen short and how best to make up lost ground.
“We don’t expect to see big political breakthroughs to kind of fashion new agreements,” said Joseph Majkut, director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.
However, he said determining the best way to measure progress — a contentious issue in the world of global climate politics — and to collectively grapple with adapting to climate change are still “relatively important.”
Although Biden has faced some criticism for missing COP28, Robert Stavins, a Harvard University professor who regularly attends climate conferences, said his absence won’t have a substantive impact.
“The meat of the negotiations” have already taken place, he said, and all that’s left for leaders is “essentially to participate in a photo opportunity.”
He added that the most important goal should be for the U.S. and China to rebuild their partnership on climate change, which was key to the Paris agreement but has lapsed in recent years. Stavins said that “any lack of cooperation on climate change is collateral damage of our legitimate disagreements” on issues like trade, intellectual property and the South China Sea.
U.S. officials said they’re confident in the progress that has been made under Biden, particularly last year’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act, which included hundreds of millions of dollars in financial incentives for clean energy.
“The urgency of this challenge is clear, but so is our ambition,” said John Podesta, a senior adviser to Biden on climate issues. He added that “we’re going to Dubai with confidence that the United States is on a path to achieve our climate goals and do our part to build a clean, secure, and equitable future for the entire world.”
The vice president is set to announce several initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as support multi-nation adaptation of plans and efforts to boost climate resilience, senior administration officials said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, special envoy John Kerry and climate adviser Ali Zaidi are attending as well.
The administration still faces some criticism. A report by the activist Center for Biological Diversity said that while new initiatives in the Inflation Reduction Act would reduce nearly 1 billion metric tons of carbon emissions by 2030, 17 different oil and gas projects the administration has approved would add 1.6 billion metric tons of emissions.
Administration officials said they’ve been required by law to approve the fossil fuel projects, which are tied to leases held by energy companies.
Harris also plans to use the trip to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas with key leaders in the region — a rare opportunity for her to have face-to-face participation in one of the most precarious foreign policy challenges facing the White House.
Those discussions come at a key moment as fighting resumed, ending a fragile truce that had held for a week while Hamas released hostages it was holding in Gaza since its Oct. 7 attack on Israel. U.S. diplomats had been engaged in efforts to extend the pause in fighting to extract additional hostages, including Americans.
Harris’ involvement could have political reverberations back home as well. She’s been focused on reaching out to younger voters who are skeptical of awarding Biden another term in office, and they’re also more likely to be critical of U.S. support for Israel.
Although Biden has worked the phones to speak with Arab leaders, he was unable to sit down with some of them in October during a trip to the region. The president had originally planned to visit Jordan as well as Israel in October, but the stop in Jordan was scrapped amid controversy over an explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Although the blast was initially blamed on Israel by Hamas authorities, further analysis — including by The Associated Press — indicated that a misfired Palestinian rocket was the cause.
veryGood! (44)
Related
- Beyoncé leads nominations for 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards
- Dolly Parton Spills the Tea on Why She Turned Down Royal Invite From Kate Middleton
- 'Big wave:' College tennis has become a legitimate path to the pro level
- Meta says Chinese, Russian influence operations are among the biggest it's taken down
- How you can get a free scoop of ice cream at Baskin Robbins Wednesday
- NHL offseason grades: Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs make the biggest news
- NFL roster cuts 2023: Tracking teams' moves before Tuesday deadline
- Get $30 off These Franco Sarto Lug Sole Loafers Just in Time for Fall
- American Supercar: A first look at the 1,064-HP 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
- Illinois judge refuses to dismiss case against father of parade shooting suspect
Ranking
- 51 Must-Try Stress Relief & Self-Care Products for National Relaxation Day (& National Wellness Month)
- Viktor Hovland wins 2023 Tour Championship to claim season-ending FedEx Cup
- US Open 2023: Here’s how to watch on TV, betting odds and more you should know
- 'Rapid intensification': How Idalia could quickly become a major hurricane before landfall
- US shoppers sharply boosted spending at retailers in July despite higher prices
- Native nations on front lines of climate change share knowledge and find support at intensive camps
- Nothing had been done like that before: Civil rights icon Dr. Josie Johnson on 50 years since March on Washington
- 10 people charged in kidnapping and death of man from upstate New York homeless encampment
Recommendation
-
Sofía Vergara Responds After Joe Manganiello Says Her Reason for Divorce Is “Not True”
-
The Indicator Quiz: The Internet
-
Into the raunchy, violent danger zone of 'Archer' one last time
-
A bull attacked and killed a person at a farm in Minnesota
-
'RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars': Premiere date, cast, where to watch and stream
-
Joe Manganiello Gets Massive New Tattoo Following Sofia Vergara Breakup
-
'Experienced and enthusiastic hiker' found dead in Bryce Canyon National Park
-
Jennifer Love Hewitt Looks Unrecognizable With New Hair Transformation