President Biden of the United States has set out for Europe to attend the G20 Summit = Summit of 20 Major Countries and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change Countermeasures "COP26".
I would like to lead a series of conferences on climate change measures, which are at the core of foreign policy, to regain the trust of the international community, which has been damaged by the turmoil over the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, and to show strong leadership.
US President Joe Biden will attend the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy on the 30th and 31st of this month and COP26 in Glasgow, England on the 1st and 2nd of next month, near the capital Washington on the afternoon of the 28th. Departed from the Air Force Base in Italy on a presidential plane.
This is the second time that President Biden has visited Europe since he visited Europe at the G7 Summit = Summit of the Seven Major Countries in June.
The United States caused great turmoil in August with the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and in September announced that it would provide Australia with nuclear submarine technology, and France's submarine development plan with Australia was abandoned. I received a strong backlash.
Saki, a spokesman for the White House, admitted at a press conference on the 27th that there was a disagreement with each country in the series of responses, and said that the president's visit was "a response to a pandemic and the world economy. We will adjust the interests for the recovery of the world, "he emphasized the idea of promoting international cooperation.
President Biden wants to lead each country in climate change measures, which are at the core of foreign policy, at this series of conferences, regain the trust of the injured international community, and show strong leadership.
Biden Administration Initiatives and Challenges for Climate Change Countermeasures
The Biden administration in the United States has placed climate change countermeasures as a top priority, placing them at the core of foreign policy and domestically as part of economic measures aimed at expanding the middle class.
President Biden has signed a document to return to the Paris Agreement, an international framework for combating global warming, which was withdrawn from the previous Trump administration on the first day of his inauguration in January.
In addition, a new presidential envoy in charge of climate change issues has been appointed, and Mr. Kelly, who has a wealth of diplomatic experience, has been appointed as Secretary of State under the Obama administration.
As a special envoy, Mr. Kelly has visited each country and asked for cooperation to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
And in April, President Biden himself hosted the Climate Change Summit, announcing a new goal to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by 50% to 52% compared to 2005 by 2030. So I asked each country for further efforts.
The Biden administration also wants to innovate the domestic industry, increase the income of workers, and expand the middle class by focusing on climate change countermeasures.
By working to reduce greenhouse gases, the White House says it can create millions of middle-class jobs, including workers in the manufacture of electric vehicles and farmers using innovative technologies.
However, some are skeptical about whether the goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 can be achieved.
The Biden administration has included a "clean power program" in its large spending bill to encourage power companies to procure renewable energy and other resources to achieve their goals.
However, with the ruling and opposition parties fighting against each other in the Senate, it is unclear whether the plan will be realized, with not only the opposition and Republicans but also some members of the ruling and Democratic parties in opposition.
Can President Biden show leadership?
For President Biden of the United States, this visit to Europe will be an important place to regain the trust that has been damaged by the turmoil over the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and to show strong leadership to the international community.
This is the second time President Biden has visited a foreign country since he visited the United Kingdom, where the G7 summit was held in June.
At this time, he clearly announced a shift from the former Trump administration, which advocated "America First," to an international cooperation route that emphasizes cooperation with allies and friends.
However, in August, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan caused great turmoil, allowing the reinstatement of the Islamist Taliban, which had fought for many years, and last month announced that it would provide Australia with nuclear submarine technology. Infuriated its ally France, which resulted in the abandonment of its submarine development program.
Such a response is said to have undermined America's credibility in the international community, and has also hurt President Biden's approval rating in the United States over the issue of Afghanistan.
Looking at the average of various opinion polls, "non-support" exceeded "support" for the first time in late August when the turmoil spread in Afghanistan, and as of 27th this month, "support" was the lowest at 42.4%. It is a standard.
Under these circumstances, President Biden, who attends the international conference, wants to take leadership in climate change countermeasures and draw out further reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from China and developing countries.
However, the $ 150 billion incentive that encourages power companies to switch to renewable energy, which is a pillar for achieving the reduction target of the United States itself, is provided not only by the opposition and Republicans but also by some members of the ruling and democratic parties. On the contrary, the realization is in jeopardy.
"President Biden has so far been unable to pass important bills. The United States has spoken to other countries," said Richard Haas, a diplomatic expert and chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, in an interview with NHK. It cannot be convinced by itself. Words need to be accompanied by action, and the United States itself must show visible action. " It is said that it is difficult to exert leadership in the United States.
Expert “Aim to show national efforts”
Regarding the aim of US President Biden attending the COP26 meeting, Frances Colon, who is a senior director of the field of climate issues at the US think tank "American Progress Center" and advises the Biden administration, said, "President Biden is 12 Participate with more than more ministerial members. It shows that we are bringing together all the people of the administration and all the power of the United States to tackle the climate crisis. " He pointed out that the aim is to appeal the attitude of working on.
On top of that, Special Envoy Kerry, who is in charge of climate change issues, said that he had visited countries such as China and India. We will call for further efforts to achieve this goal. "