COP28: Pope Francis cancels Cop28 trip to Dubai due to ill health; Biden to miss too
Pope Francis has cancelled his planned trip to the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai because of the effects of influenza and lung inflammation, the Vatican said on Tuesday, adding to concerns about his health.
Delegates from nearly 200 countries will convene this week for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, where conference host and OPEC member the UAE hopes to sell the vision of a low-carbon future. However, as the climate summit begins, some big names are going to be missing from the Conference.
Pope Francis has cancelled his planned trip to the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai because of the effects of influenza and lung inflammation, the Vatican said on Tuesday, adding to concerns about his health.
The pope, who is 86, was due to begin a three-day visit to Dubai on Friday and the Vatican had said earlier on Tuesday that he was going ahead with the trip.
US President Joe Biden, who has been pushing policies to decarbonize the US economy by mid-century, will not be attending the climate summit. Meanwhile, the US Vice President Kamala Harris will. The president’s schedule released by the White House shows him hosting a bilateral meeting with President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of the Republic of Angola and attending the National Tree Lighting on Thursday, when the summit begins.
On the other hand, high profile figures like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Britain’s King Charles have confirmed their participation. PM Modi will be travelling to Dubai to attend the World Climate Action Summit on November 30. He will be visiting the city from November 30 to December 1 on the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Also in attendance will be US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Furthermore, this year’s gathering of 70,000 registered attendees will have more of a trade show feel than previous COPs, with organizers expecting a record 70,000 people – including the biggest participation from businesses for any UN climate summit yet.
