Washington DC, March 27: United States President Joe Biden for the first time invited 40 world leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a summit on the climate crisis hosted by his administration next month. According to the White House Biden is going to host the summit on April 22 and 23.
The virtual Leaders Summit will be live-streamed for public viewing. As per the statement released by the White House, it will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.
"The President also invited the heads of other countries that are demonstrating strong climate leadership, are especially vulnerable to climate impacts, or are charting innovative pathways to a net-zero economy. Some business and civil society leaders will also participate in the Summit," the statement read.
The themes of the Summit will include galvanising efforts by the world's major economies to reduce emissions during this critical decade to keep a limit to warming of 1.5 degree Celsius within reach and mobilising public and private sector finance to drive the net-zero transition and to help vulnerable countries cope with climate impacts.
The summit will also focus on the opportunities to strengthen capacity to protect lives and livelihoods from the impacts of climate change, address the global security challenges posed by climate change and the impact on readiness, and address the role of nature-based solutions in achieving net-zero by 2050 goals.
Apart from India the US has invited European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were invited. Besides, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
China and Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are on the guestlist. This will also the first time that US president and Chinese President Xi Jinping will come on the same platform for the summit. The meeting has come at a time when the Quad meeting took place earlier this month. It also comes amid when, President Joe Biden criticises the country's leader, Xi Jinping saying, "He doesn’t have a democratic – with a small ‘d’ – bone in his body.
This will be interesting to watch whatever Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit or will pass it. The bilateral ties between the US and Russia facing bad phase for the last few years. But it gets worsened after US Prez described Vladimir Putin as the' Killer' and also threatened him saying, "he would "pay a price" for election meddling." Following which Russia recalls its US envoy back to Moscow
Pakistan
Interestingly, US Biden has also called Vietnam, Nigeria, Kenya, Jamaica, the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the summit but they have not invited Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran's who is willing to work closely on a host of subjects, including countering climate change. It is a major setback to Pakistan and their PM's dream to work closely with the US. This move will give a silent but yer clear-cut message to the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government.
Besides, Biden urged other leaders to use the summit as a forum in which to outline their own new, more forceful contributions.
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