White House Convenes Earth Day Climate Summit With World Leaders

The Biden administration used the occasion of Earth Day to focus on the global response to global warming and show the world that the U.S. is back in a position of leadership on climate mitigation, clean energy and green economic development. To this end, the White House convened a virtual Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22-23. The event involved 40 different heads of state and was livestreamed from https://whitehouse.gov.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration just announced an ambitious 2030 emissions reduction target as its new  “Nationally Determined Contribution” under the Paris climate agreement the U.S. recently rejoined. At the climate summit, Biden urged leaders to outline how their countries also will contribute to stronger emissions cutbacks.

Besides leaders of the 17 countries in the U.S.-convened Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, the summit includes the heads of other countries that are demonstrating strong climate leadership,  especially vulnerable to climate impacts, or charting innovative pathways to a net-zero economy.  A small number of business and civil society leaders are also participating in the Summit.