Biden invites Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders to a US summit on climate change

Joe Biden invites Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders to a US summit on climate change

Biden invites Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders to a US summit on climate change.Image By AFP 

Washington : President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the US climate summit next month to emphasize the urgency and economic benefits of climate resilience, the White House said.

Biden will host a two-day climate summit for world leaders starting on World Day, April 22, at which he will set the US goal of reducing carbon emissions by 2030 - known as a nationwide contribution under the historic Paris agreement.

The White House said on Friday that 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been invited to a conference to be broadcast live.

"It will be a milestone on the road to the World Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow," the organization said.

Other leaders invited to the summit include Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Biden invites Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders to a US summit on climate change

Biden invites Prime Minister Modi and other world leaders to a US summit on climate change

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering are among two South Asian leaders to be invited to the summit.

The White House said the main objective of both the Leaders' Summit and COP26 would be to promote efforts to keep the 1.5 degree Celsius within reach. The conference will also highlight examples of how climate change will create better-paying jobs, develop new technologies and help countries at risk of adapting to the effects of climate change, he added.

During the summit, the United States will announce the outstanding goal of the 2030 release as a New National Contribution to the Paris Agreement, the White House said.

In his invitation, Biden urged leaders to use the summit as an opportunity to explain how their countries can also contribute to climate change, the organization said.

The summit will also include the US-led Global Economic Forum on Energy and Climate, which brings together 17 countries that account for about 80 percent of global emissions and global GDP.

Biden also invited foreign heads of state who have demonstrated strong climate leadership, who are particularly vulnerable to climate change, or who are planning new ways of a seamless economy. A small number of business leaders and community organizations will also participate in the conference, the White House said.

In the run-up to the campaign, Biden made climate change a priority, setting a goal to ensure the US achieves a permanent release by 2050.

He signed a number of administrative measures during his first week in the office dealing with climate change, including one instructing the Secretary of the Interior to pause on a lease on oil and natural gas leases in public places or in coastal waters.

The key themes of the summit will include efforts to put more pressure on the global economy to reduce pollution during the crucial decade to keep the temperature at 1.5 degrees Celsius accessible and combined with public and private sector funding to drive unemployment change and help vulnerable countries cope with the effects of climate change.

The summit will also look at the economic benefits of climate change, with an emphasis on job creation, and the importance of ensuring that all communities and workers benefit from the transformation of a new clean energy economy.

It will also look at ways to promote innovative technologies that can help reduce pollution and adapt to climate change, while also creating greater economic opportunities and building future industries, the White House said.

Among the highlights include showing the national and non-government actors committed to green recovery and a balanced vision of reducing temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and working closely with national governments to develop ambition and resilience, he said.

The summit will also discuss opportunities to strengthen health and safety capabilities on climate change impacts, address global security challenges posed by climate change and impact on sustainability, and address the role of ecosystems in achieving net-zero goals by 2050 goals, the White House said. PTI