International climate talks became a power struggle on Friday as over 130 world leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were set to address the United Nations climate conference in Dubai over the next two days. However, two key players, President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping, were significantly absent.
The aim of the conference is to combat the excessive heating of the planet caused by human activity. It is anticipated that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will highlight the necessity of reducing fossil fuel usage and increasing the adoption of renewable energies to minimize carbon emissions that are trapping excess heat near Earth.
Although the leaders of the two biggest carbon-polluting nations, responsible for over 44% of the world’s emissions, were absent, their deputies, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and China’s First Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, are due to attend in their place.
The attendee list includes leaders from nations severely affected by the impact of climate change, such as floods, storms, drought, and heat waves, exacerbated by the burning of coal, oil, and gas.
Amid tensions related to his country’s conflict with Hamas militants in Gaza, President Isaac Herzog of Israel is set to meet with key figures in the Middle East.
Moreover, the opening day of the COP28 conference saw the formal establishment of a “loss and damage” fund to compensate countries, particularly developing ones, for the effects of natural disasters caused by climate change.
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