Biden’s Good COP/Bad COP on Climate is Not Enough

Biden’s Good COP/Bad COP on Climate is Not Enough

(Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) President Joe Biden is in Glasgow, on the second phase of a trip abroad which began with the 2021 G20 summit in Rome. Joining him in Scotland is an outsized American delegation for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), including not only Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and Climate Envoy John Kerry, but six members of cabinet. To avoid meeting Biden – and international criticism – China's leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin do not participate in Glasgow. In terms of presentation, a stark contrast has been drawn to the climate skeptic Trump administration — Biden made a point of apologizing for his predecessor's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords. All of which has raised some eyebrows given the president's weekend call for OPEC+ to increase their production of oil. Biden acknowledged the apparent incongruity on Sunday, calling the idea of moving fully to renewable energy without a transition "just not rational." Hypocritical as it may seem, by calling for more hydrocarbon production (just "not in my back yard), Biden sent a message to his own left wing, acknowledging that the energy transition requires balance and nuance, as energy policy is