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Higgins Raises Concerns on Biden Climate Talks with China - Congressman Clay Higgins

Congressman Clay Higgins · last updated

Higgins Raises Concerns on Biden Climate Talks with China - Congressman Clay Higgins

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) sent a letter to President Biden requesting answers on a recent climate meeting between the U.S. Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, John Podesta, and Liu Zhenmin, China’s special envoy for climate change.

Earlier this month, Podesta and Zhenmin met for a special session to discuss a potential climate change agreement between the United States and China. The meeting raises concerns about the Biden administration’s willingness to sacrifice American energy security for empty promises from China.

“Your administration’s approach to curbing greenhouse gas emissions through heavy-handed mandates and radical Green New Deal policies has undermined American energy production and exacerbated our reliance on foreign nations for critical energy resources. Regulatory overreach, massive subsidies for politically-favored green energy sources, and permitting moratoriums on significant energy projects have led to soaring energy prices and created dependencies on adversaries like China for a variety of energy components,” wrote the lawmakers.

The letter continues, “It is especially perplexing that the administration would provide such windfalls to China under the auspices of “climate action” given China’s environmental record. China has clearly stated it will not commit to the same sustainability initiatives being pushed domestically. The U.S. is the global leader in reducing emissions, while China is the world’s leading emitter of carbon, emitting more than all developed nations combined.”

Read the full letter here.

Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy

State of Play

Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates. 

Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.

The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21). 

Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29

 

More informationabout Climate diplomacy