President Biden has today [26 March 2021] invited 40 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the Leaders Summit on Climate he intends to host on 22 and 23 April 2021, and which will be live streamed for public viewing.
The White House press release states that “In recent years, scientists have underscored the need to limit planetary warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to stave off the worst impacts of climate change. A key goal of both the Leaders Summit and COP26 [in November in Glasgow] will be to catalyze efforts that keep that 1.5-degree goal within reach. The Summit will also highlight examples of how enhanced climate ambition will create good paying jobs, advance innovative technologies, and help vulnerable countries adapt to climate impacts.” [h&t emphasis added]
The White House press release explains that the “summit will reconvene the U.S.-led Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which brings together 17 countries responsible for approximately 80 percent of global emissions and global GDP. The President also invited the heads of other countries that are demonstrating strong climate leadership, are especially vulnerable to climate impacts, or are charting innovative pathways to a net-zero economy.”
Read the full text of the US President’s media release President Biden Invites 40 World Leaders to Leaders Summit on Climate (issued 26 March 2021) (external link to White House website)
The following leaders have been invited to participate in the Summit:
| Invitee | Country/Organisation | Region (UN geoscheme) |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister Gaston Browne | Antigua and Barbuda | Latin America & Caribbean |
| President Alberto Fernandez | Argentina | Latin America & Caribbean |
| Prime Minister Scott Morrison | Australia | Oceania |
| Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina | Bangladesh | Southern Asia |
| Prime Minister Lotay Tshering | Bhutan | Southern Asia |
| President Jair Bolsonaro | Brazil | Latin America & Caribbean |
| Prime Minister Justin Trudeau | Canada | Northern America |
| President Sebastián Piñera | Chile | Latin America & Caribbean |
| President Iván Duque Márquez | Colombia | Latin America & Caribbean |
| President Félix Tshisekedi | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen | Denmark | Europe |
| President Ursula von der Leyen | European Commission | Europe |
| President Charles Michel | European Council | Europe |
| President Emmanuel Macron | France | Europe |
| President Ali Bongo Ondimba | Gabon | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Chancellor Angela Merkel | Germany | Europe |
| Prime Minister Narendra Modi | India | Southern Asia |
| President Joko Widodo | Indonesia | South-eastern Asia |
| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Israel | Western Asia |
| Prime Minister Mario Draghi | Italy | Europe |
| Prime Minister Andrew Holness | Jamaica | Latin America & Caribbean |
| Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga | Japan | Eastern Asia |
| President Uhuru Kenyatta | Kenya | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | Western Asia |
| President Andrés Manuel López Obrador | Mexico | Latin America & Caribbean |
| Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern | New Zealand | Oceania |
| President Muhammadu Buhari | Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Prime Minister Erna Solberg | Norway | Europe |
| President Xi Jinping | People’s Republic of China | Eastern Asia |
| President Andrzej Duda | Poland | Europe |
| President Moon Jae-in | Republic of Korea | Eastern Asia |
| President David Kabua | Republic of the Marshall Islands | Oceania |
| Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong | Singapore | South-eastern Asia |
| President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa | South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez | Spain | Europe |
| President Vladimir Putin | The Russian Federation | Northern Asia |
| President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | Turkey | Western Asia |
| President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan | United Arab Emirates | Western Asia |
| Prime Minister Boris Johnson | United Kingdom | Europe |
| President Nguyễn Phú Trọng | Vietnam | South-eastern Asia |
Note: The 17 major economies that comprise the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Denmark, in its capacity as the President of the December 2009 Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the United Nations have also participated in this dialogue along with Observers.
Image: Déjà vu? Leaders Climate Summit 2015, with then United States Vice President Joe Biden. Original image at joebiden.com