TIL Desk/World/Bonn/ An American official will address the UN climate meeting in Bonn today, where envoys have battled to make progress in the shadow of President Donald Trump’s rejection of a global action plan.
On the penultimate day of the annual climate huddle, most countries will be represented by heads of state or cabinet ministers at a “high-level segment”, but Washington sent an acting assistant secretary of state, Judith Garber. She replaces Thomas Shannon, number three at the State Department, who pulled out because of a “family emergency”.
Garber will address delegates in the afternoon, just three days after White House officials drew the ire of conference-goers by hosting a sideline event defending the use of fossil fuels at a forum focused on reducing planet-warming emissions from burning coal, oil and gas.”It will be very interesting to see both the content and the tone” of Thursday’s speech,” said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Naomi Ages, a Greenpeace climate campaigner, said Garber would “likely reiterate Trump’s decision to withdraw, or try to bargain for better terms.” Announcing Garber’s participation, the State Department emphasised that the Trump administration’s position on the climate-rescue Paris Agreement “remains unchanged”.
