No senior members of Trump’s administration will attend COP25 climate conference in Spain
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi will led a 15-member congressional delegation to ‘reaffirm the commitment of the American people to combating the climate crisis’
The United States will send a diplomatic team but no senior members of Donald Trump’s administration to a global climate-change conference starting in Spain on Monday, according to a statement.
However, in an effort to raise the US profile in Madrid, House speaker Nancy Pelosi will led a 15-member congressional delegation to “reaffirm the commitment of the American people to combating the climate crisis”.
The US, at Trump’s direction, is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, which set a goal of limiting global temperature rises to well within two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels.
Spain stepped in to host the COP25 meeting, which seeks to boost commitments to fight climate change, after Chile pulled out due to civil unrest.
“The United States will continue to participate in ongoing climate change negotiations and meetings – such as COP25 – to ensure a level playing field that protects US interests,” the US State Department said Saturday.
The US team will be headed by ambassador Marcia Bernicat, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs.