President Joe Biden will host a virtual meeting with world leaders, known as the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF), on Friday in an attempt to boost international cooperation on climate change.
Biden will focus on “the urgency and the economic benefits” of a stronger response to climate change, and call on world leaders to strengthen their climate commitments ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in early November, the White House said in a statement Wednesday.
“The President also will outline plans to leverage the MEF post-Glasgow as a launchpad for collective, concrete efforts scaling up climate action through this decisive decade,” the White House added.
On Friday, Biden will reconvene the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate, as per the @WhiteHouse . He’ll try and get stronger commitments from countries in the run up to Glasgow (@COP26) and beyond. pic.twitter.com/o5ZO34Pv0D
— Sriram Lakshman (@slakster) September 15, 2021
A senior Biden administration official told reporters the forum will be a discussion on what the world’s major economies can do to address climate change, but declined to state which world leaders will be participating, The Hill reported.
Former President Barack Obama launched the MEF in order “to facilitate a candid dialogue” about climate change. The forum was convened 17 times between 2009 and 2013, and included major economies such as the European Union, China and India.
The U.S. and the E.U. reportedly reached an agreement earlier this week to cut methane emissions by 30%, a decision that could be formally announced at the forum. The senior Biden administration official called the emissions target a “collective global goal” during a call with reporters, The Hill reported. (RELATED: Biden Amps Up Messaging On Climate Change)
Biden previously invited 40 world leaders to participate in the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate in April. The summit featured climate pledges from the U.S. and other countries, including a plan by the Biden administration to reduce carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2050.
At the upcoming U.N. conference in November, countries are expected to affirm the goals laid out in the Paris Climate Accords. Biden brought the U.S. back into the agreement in January, reversing former President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw.