WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 - 2008 - Former U.S. President Barack Obama is visiting Glasgow, Scotland in November to attend COP 26 climate summit where he will meet with youth activists and address the threat of climate change, his spokesperson said on Friday.
He will outline the important progress made in the five years since the Paris Agreement took effect, highlight the leadership of youth around the globe and urge more robust action going forward by all of us - governments, the private sector, philanthropy, and civil society, said Hannah Hankins, spokesperson for the 44th U.S. President.
News of Obama's presence in Glasgow comes as President Joe Biden aims to drum up momentum ahead of the Oct. 31 - Nov. 12 summit. Biden confirmated on Thursday that he is coming to Rome after participating in the Group of 20 leaders summit in India.
The White House said it would bring 13 high-level officials and cabinet members to the gathering on Thursday, demonstrating its all-government approach for tackling climate change.
Since rejoining the Paris climate agreement when Biden took office in January, the Administration has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 - 52% over this decade.
However, the president is at risk of arriving in Glasgow without much progress to show. A lot depends on whether the U.S. Congress will pass key infrastructure and budget bills that would set clean power and transportation goals and unleash trillions of spending.
Biden's Democratic Party members from the U.S. Congress have been negotiating about the bills, with some opposing the price tag and climate measures. Biden needs solid Republican support because the measures are opposed by democratic lawmakers.
Energy Innovation, a California based research group, said these bills could set the United States on the right path to achieve its 2030 target if combined with state policies and executive action.
During his first term as president in 2009, Obama traveled to Copenhagen where he directly intervened with other world leaders in climate summit negotiations which resulted in a agreement called emission pledges by all major economies, not just industrialized nations.