Biden’s climate summit comes as an emboldened Left appears to have many in government and industry prepared to appease their most destructive whims.
The President plans to tell the summit that the United States will HALVE U.S. CO2 emissions by 2050. That’s only 29 years.
To get anywhere near this unrealistic goal will require the President to use the full weight of his office in ways which would wreak devastating economic harm on an America still struggling to recover from COVID-19.
President Biden’s naive plans would cause unprecedented damage to America’s energy economy, lifestyles and individual freedoms.
Although China emits nearly a third of the world’s CO2, more than the U.S. and E.U. combined, China remains exempt from emissions reductions under the Paris Climate Accord. China will go on building new coal plants and expanding its economy and power. The Chinese will happily sell us the inefficient wind turbines, solar panels and lithium-ion batteries Biden wants to purchase in the name of “infrastructure.”
President Biden invited world leaders to join him for a virtual summit on climate change. Watch live here starting Thursday April 22, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
Official Schedule
Day 1–April 22
8:00 a.m.–Session 1
Raising Our Climate Ambition
President Biden and Vice President Harris will open the inaugural session of the Summit. This session will underscore the urgent need for the world’s major economies to strengthen their climate ambition by the time of COP 26 to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. It will provide an opportunity for leaders to highlight the climate-related challenges their countries face and the efforts they are undertaking, and to announce new steps to strengthen climate ambition.
U.S. Participants:
- Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
- Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry
Leaders:
- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
- Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda
- President Alberto Fernandez, Argentina
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Australia
- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh
- Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Bhutan
- President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada
- President Sebastián Piñera, Chile
- President Xi Jinping, People’s Republic of China
- President Iván Duque Márquez, Colombia
- President Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission
- President Emmanuel Macron, France
- President Ali Bongo Ondimba, Gabon
- Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India
- President Joko Widodo, Indonesia
- Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Italy
- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Japan
- President David Kabua, Republic of the Marshall Islands
- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico
- President Moon Jae-in, Republic of Korea
- President Vladimir Putin, The Russian Federation
- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson, United Kingdom
11:45 a.m.–Session 2
Investing in Climate Solutions
This session will highlight the urgent need to scale up climate finance; efforts to increase public finance for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries; and efforts to shift trillions of dollars of private investment to finance the transition to net zero by 2050.
U.S. Participants:
- Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen
- Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry
- National Economic Council Director Brian Deese
Leaders:
- President Félix Tshisekedi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- President Charles Michel, European Council
- Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Jamaica
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand
Speakers:
- Akinwumi A. Adesina, President, African Development Bank
- Oliver Bäte, CEO, Allianz
- Jane Fraser, CEO, Citigroup
- Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
- Marcie Frost, CEO, CalPERS
- Yannick Glemarec, Executive Director, Green Climate Fund
- David Malpass, Group President, World Bank Group
- Brian Moynihan, Chairman and CEO, Bank of America; Chair, International Business Council; Co-Chair, Sustainable Markets Initiative
Day 1 Featured Speakers:
- Pope Francis
- Carolina Schmidt, Environment Minister, Chile; President, 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25)
- Alok Sharma MP, United Kingdom; President, 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26)
- Xiye Bastida, Fridays for Future
12:45 p.m.–Session 3
(Breakout Sessions, Round 1)
Adaptation and Resilience
This session will highlight the climate adaptation and resilience challenges faced by all countries, especially those most vulnerable to climate impacts, and cutting-edge approaches to strengthening resilience in the face of climate change and climate variability.
U.S. Participants:
- Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
- Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
Speakers:
- Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Public Enterprises, Civil Service, Communications, Fiji
- Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Ireland
- Aziz Rabbah, Minister of Energy, Mines and Environment, Morocco
- Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands
- Malik Amin Aslam, Federal Minister of Climate Change, Pakistan
- João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, Portugal
- Abdullah Subai, Minister of Municipality and Environment, Qatar
- Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of Environment, Rwanda
- Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
Climate Action at All Levels
This session will highlight the critical efforts of subnational and non-state actors (cities, states/regions, and indigenous groups) that are contributing to green recovery and working closely with national governments to advance climate ambition and resilience on the ground.
U.S. Participants:
- Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan
Speakers:
- Sinéia B. do Vale, Member, Indigenous Council of Roraima, Brazil
- Mayor LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans
- Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Paris, France
- Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad
- Governor Yuriko Koike, Tokyo, Japan
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico
- Fawn Sharp, President, National Congress of American Indians
- Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico City, Mexico
2:00 p.m.–Session 3
(Breakout Sessions, Round 2)
Climate Security
This session will highlight the global security challenges posed by climate change, the impact on the military and readiness, and efforts underway to address the threat multipliers to energy, economic, and national security.
U.S. Participants:
- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III
- Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines
- Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations
Speakers:
- Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defense, United Kingdom
- Kishi Nobuo, Minister of Defense, Japan
- Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Defense, Kenya
- Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General, NATO
- Carlos G. Dominguez III, Secretary of Finance, The Philippines
- Jumaah Enad, Minister of Defense, Iraq
- Margarita Robles Fernández, Minister of Defense, Spain
Nature-based Solutions
This session will highlight the critical role of nature-based solutions in reducing emissions and strengthening climate resilience, including efforts to reduce deforestation and the loss of wetlands, restore marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
U.S. Participants:
- Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland
Speakers:
- Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada
- Andrea Meza, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica
- Lee White, Minister of Water, Forests, the Seas, and Environment, Gabon
- Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Indonesia
- Gabriel Quijandría, Minister of the Environment, Peru
- Flavien P. Joubert, Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Seychelles
- Tuntiak Katan, General Coordinator, Global Alliance of Territorial Communities
- Archana Soreng, Member, Youth Advisory Group on Climate to the U.N. Secretary General; Kharia Tribe, Sundergarh, India
Day 2–April 23
8:00 a.m.–Session 4
Unleashing Climate Innovation
This session will highlight the critical role of technological innovation in achieving a net-zero, climate-resilient economy; the importance of accelerating public and private investment in climate innovation; and the enormous economic opportunities in building the industries of the future.
U.S. Participants:
- Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm
- Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo
- Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry
Leaders:
- Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Denmark
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel
- President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya
- Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Norway
- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore
- Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, United Arab Emirates
Speakers:
- Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency
- Anna Borg, President and CEO, Vattenfall
- Shirley Ann Jackson, President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Danielle Merfeld, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, GE Renewable Energy
- Audrey Zibelman, Vice President, X
9:15 a.m.–Session 5
The Economic Opportunities of Climate Action
This session will highlight the broad economic benefits of climate action, with a strong focus on job creation. It will explore the economic benefits of green recovery and long-term decarbonization and the importance of ensuring that all communities and workers benefit from the clean-energy transition.
U.S. Participants:
- Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
- United States Trade Representative Katherine C. Tai
- National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy
Leaders:
- President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria
- President Andrzej Duda, Poland
- President Pedro Sánchez, Spain
- President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnam
Speakers:
- Jack Allen, CEO, Proterra
- Roxanne Brown, International Vice President at Large, United Steelworkers
- Sharan Burrow, General Secretary, International Trade Union
- Brett Isaac, CEO, Navajo Power
- Erica Mackie, CEO, Grid Alternatives
- Nthabiseng Mosia, Co-Founder and CCO, Easy Solar
- George Oliver, Chairman and CEO, Johnson Controls International; Chair, Business Roundtable Energy & Environment Committee
- Lonnie R. Stephenson, President, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Day 2 Featured Speakers:
- Michael Bloomberg, U.N. Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions
- Bill Gates, Founder, Breakthrough Energy
- Brenda Mallory, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality
- Peggy Shepard, Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice; Co-Chair, White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council