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Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at the COP28 summit in Dubai on Friday to take part in two days of climate negotiations with hundreds of world leaders, the White House announced. President Joe Biden stayed behind in Washington, opting to send Harris after he attended the previous two conferences in his term, but didn't cite a reasons for his absence this year.
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Harris will be joined in the United Arab Emirates by dozens of senior U.S. officials, representing more than 20 government departments and agencies, White House press secretary Kirsten Allen said in a statement unveiling the vice president's plans.
The American delegation included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi, White House adviser John Podesta, Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack, and Special Climate Envoy John Kerry, according to a list released this week by the State Department.
The conference takes place as the president was prioritizing increased global partnerships to address the climate crisis, which would open the door for the U.S. to advance its policy goals around the world, Allen said.
The U.S. delegation and other leading nations were planning to put pressure on any country perceived as falling behind in meaningful efforts to reduce emissions in their part of the world.
This year's conference was also expected to suggest more robust climate reduction measures, including a shift away from fossil fuels and the creation of a framework for a new international fund aimed at covering the cost of climate damage in poor countries.
"The global stocktake needs to earn credibility by being candid, strong, visionary," Kerry said at the opening of the conference. "It needs to lay out what's happened since Paris."
European Union leaders were also planning to use this year's conference to put pressure on the international community to adopt strict new policies to reduce methane emissions.
The climate conference is being led by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber -- the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., and renewable energy leader, who previously served as the UAE's climate envoy.
When Al Jaber was announced as the conference chief in January, there were immediate concerns about whether he could be effective in the role due to his cozy relationship with major oil producers around the world.
Voices from previous climate talks said Al Jaber's leadership would be severely hampered by competing interests from those who want to move completely away from fossil fuels, and others who want to keep cashing in despite growing environmental consequences.
