President Joe Biden's likely absence from this year's U.N. Climate Change Conference is set to upset Democrats as Biden tries to keep his party together amid Israel's war against Hamas.
But the White House and Biden's campaign appear to be hoping that Democrats will forgive the president, given the conflict, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and a range of domestic priorities, as he grapples with poor polling before next year's election.
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Biden's absence from the 28th annual U.N. climate summit, known as COP28 because of the "conference of the parties" to the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, coincides with the president having an average approval-disapproval rating of net negative 15 percentage points, according to RealClearPolitics. Dissatisfaction with Biden has been exacerbated by increased consumer prices, with some critics contending the president's energy policies, including his advocacy of electric vehicles, have made the problem worse.
"We know the prices are still too high for too many things, that times are still too tough for too many families," Biden said this week at the White House. "We've made progress, but we have more work to do."
But with Democrats becoming more critical of Biden a year before the 2024 election in response to his support of Israel's war against Hamas, the president risks rankling members of his party, particularly younger ones already perturbed by his reaction to the Middle East crisis, with his absence from COP28.
The Biden campaign has downplayed concerns about the president's standing among Democrats regarding his climate positions, with one source telling the Washington Examiner polling suggests it is currently not the most pressing issue for the public. But YouGov's tracking poll, for instance, found "climate change and the environment" was important to 70% of respondents this month, the same percentage as the start of Biden's administration in January 2021.
Simultaneously, climate advocate Bob Inglis, a former Republican congressman from South Carolina, had advice for more liberal Democrats disenchanted with Biden's environmental record.
"Seems that the far left is always wanting more — and more than most Americans want them to go," he said.
The White House has repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether Biden is attending COP28. Neither press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre nor National Security Council spokesman John Kirby have neither confirmed nor denied reports the president will not be at this year's summit in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, that begins Thursday, marking the first time he is missing the event during his administration despite his public schedule indicating he is expected to speak about climate on Thursday in Colorado.
Instead, Jean-Pierre has underscored that the United States will have "robust representation" at COP28, including special envoy John Kerry, national climate adviser Ali Zaidi, and senior adviser John Podesta, though both Kerry and Podesta are polarizing political figures.
"President Biden, as you all know — you've heard us say this over and over again — we believe, led and has delivered the most ambitious climate agenda in history, both at home and, obviously, abroad," she said. "We've been doing this since day one."
Jean-Pierre cited Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, describing it as the "largest climate investment ever" and asserting that it puts the country on a "path to cut climate pollution in half by 2030." The press secretary also pointed to the president protecting more than 21 million acres of public land and water so far during his administration.
"He's going to continue to rally not just world leaders, but obviously rally here as well and make sure that we put climate, his climate ambition actions in the forefront," she said.
Biden did announce this week that the NSC, with the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy and Council of Economic Advisers, will monitor the El Nino climate pattern with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as part of a new interagency task force. He emphasized, too, the President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, or PREPARE, a program helping other countries improve their climate observation and data sharing.
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Biden additionally discussed climate with Chinese President Xi Jinping this month during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco, one reason why the U.S. conducts diplomatic outreach with China despite political differences. The White House readout of their sideline meeting amplified their conversation about "national actions to reduce emissions in the 2020s," "common approaches toward a successful COP28," and "operationalizing the Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action."
COP28 negotiators are seeking a recommitment to decreasing emissions to prevent the Earth from warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius. In Biden's absence, the U.S. is poised to be scrutinized for not doing more to aid developing countries transition to green energy and adapt to the climate.