Leaders to Leaders Summit on Climate: Day 1
President Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate he will host on April 22 and April 23. The virtual Leaders Summit will be live streamed for public viewing.
The Leaders Summit on Climate will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action. It will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.
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 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.
By the time of the Summit, the United States will announce an ambitious 2030 emissions target as its new Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. In his invitation, the President urged leaders to use the Summit as an opportunity to outline how their countries also will contribute to stronger climate ambition.
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. A small number of business and civil society leaders will also participate in the Summit.
Key themes of the Summit will include:
- Galvanizing efforts by the world’s major economies to reduce emissions during this critical decade to keep a limit to warming of 1.5 degree Celsius within reach. Mobilizing public and private sector finance to drive the net-zero transition and to help vulnerable countries cope with climate impacts.
- The economic benefits of climate action, with a strong emphasis on job creation, and the importance of ensuring all communities and workers benefit from the transition to a new clean energy economy.
- Spurring transformational technologies that can help reduce emissions and adapt to climate change, while also creating enormous new economic opportunities and building the industries of the future.
- Showcasing subnational and non-state actors that are committed to green recovery and an equitable vision for limiting warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, and are working closely with national governments to advance ambition and resilience.
- Discussing opportunities to strengthen capacity to protect lives and livelihoods from the impacts of climate change, address the global security challenges posed by climate change and the impact on readiness, and address the role of nature-based solutions in achieving net zero by 2050 goals.
- Further details on the Summit agenda, additional participants, media access, and public viewing will be provided in the coming weeks.
The President invited the following leaders to participate in the Summit:
- Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda
- President Alberto Fernandez, Argentina
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Australia
- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh
- Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Bhutan
- President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada
- President Sebastián Piñera, Chile
- President Xi Jinping, People’s Republic of China
- President Iván Duque Márquez, Colombia
- President Félix Tshisekedi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Denmark
- President Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission
- President Charles Michel, European Council
- President Emmanuel Macron, France
- President Ali Bongo Ondimba, Gabon
- Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India
- President Joko Widodo, Indonesia
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel
- Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Italy
- Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Jamaica
- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Japan
- President Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya
- President David Kabua, Republic of the Marshall Islands
- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand
- President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria
- Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Norway
- President Andrzej Duda, Poland
- President Moon Jae-in, Republic of Korea
- President Vladimir Putin, The Russian Federation
- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Singapore
- President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spain
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey
- President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirates
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson, United Kingdom
- President Nguyễn Phú Trọng, Vietnam
8:00 a.m.–Session 1
Raising Our Climate Ambition
President Biden and Vice President Harris will open the inaugural session of the Summit. This session will underscore the urgent need for the world’s major economies to strengthen their climate ambition by the time of COP 26 to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. It will provide an opportunity for leaders to highlight the climate-related challenges their countries face and the efforts they are undertaking, and to announce new steps to strengthen climate ambition.
U.S. Participants:- Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
- Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry Leaders:
- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
- Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Antigua and Barbuda
- President Alberto Fernandez, Argentina
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Australia
- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh
- Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Bhutan
- President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada
- President Sebastián Piñera, Chile
- President Xi Jinping, People’s Republic of China
- President Iván Duque Márquez, Colombia
- President Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission
- President Emmanuel Macron, France
- President Ali Bongo Ondimba, Gabon
- Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India
- President Joko Widodo, Indonesia
- Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Italy
- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Japan
- President David Kabua, Republic of the Marshall Islands
- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico
- President Moon Jae-in, Republic of Korea
- President Vladimir Putin, The Russian Federation
- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson, United Kingdom
11:45 a.m.–Session 2
Investing in Climate Solutions
This session will highlight the urgent need to scale up climate finance; efforts to increase public finance for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries; and efforts to shift trillions of dollars of private investment to finance the transition to net zero by 2050.
U.S. Participants:- Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen
- Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry
- National Economic Council Director Brian Deese
- President Félix Tshisekedi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- President Charles Michel, European Council
- Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Jamaica
- Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand
- Akinwumi A. Adesina, President, African Development Bank
- Oliver Bäte, CEO, Allianz
- Jane Fraser, CEO, Citigroup
- Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
- Marcie Frost, CEO, CalPERS
- David Malpass, Group President, World Bank Group
- Brian Moynihan, Chairman and CEO, Bank of America; Chair, International Business Council; Co-Chair, Sustainable Markets Initiative
- Pope Francis
- Carolina Schmidt, Environment Minister, Chile; President, 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25)
- Alok Sharma MP, United Kingdom; President, 26th United Nations United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26)
- Xiye Bastida, Fridays for Future
12:45 p.m.–Session 3
(Breakout Sessions, Round 1)
Adaptation and Resilience
This session will highlight the climate adaptation and resilience challenges faced by all countries, especially those most vulnerable to climate impacts, and cutting-edge approaches to strengthening resilience in the face of climate change and climate variability.
U.S. Participants:- Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
- Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
- Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Public Enterprises, Civil Service, Communications, Fiji
- Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Ireland
- Aziz Rabbah, Minister of Energy, Mines and Environment, Morocco
- Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands
- Malik Amin Aslam, Federal Minister of Climate Change, Pakistan
- João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, Portugal
- Abdullah Subai, Minister of Municipality and Environment, Qatar
- Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of Environment, Rwanda
- Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand
Climate Action at All Levels
This session will highlight the critical efforts of subnational and non-state actors (cities, states/regions, and indigenous groups) that are contributing to green recovery and working closely with national governments to advance climate ambition and resilience on the ground.
U.S. Participants:- Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan
- Sinéia B. do Vale, Member, Indigenous Council of Roraima, Brazil
- Mayor LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans
- Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Paris, France
- Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad
- Governor Yuriko Koike, Tokyo, Japan
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico
- Fawn Sharp, President, National Congress of American Indians
- Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico City, Mexico
2:00 p.m.–Session 3
(Breakout Sessions, Round 2)
Climate Security
This session will highlight the global security challenges posed by climate change, the impact on the military and readiness, and efforts underway to address the threat multipliers to energy, economic, and national security.
U.S. Participants:- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III
- Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines
- Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations
- Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defense, United Kingdom
- Kishi Nobuo, Minister of Defense, Japan
- Monica Juma, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Defense, Kenya
- Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General, NATO
- Carlos G. Dominguez III, Secretary of Finance, The Philippines
- Jumaah Enad, Minister of Defense, Iraq
- Margarita Robles Fernández, Minister of Defense, Spain
Nature-based Solutions
This session will highlight the critical role of nature-based solutions in reducing emissions and strengthening climate resilience, including efforts to reduce deforestation and the loss of wetlands, restore marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
U.S. Participants:- Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland Speakers:
- Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Canada
- Andrea Meza, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica
- Lee White, Minister of Water, Forests, the Seas, and Environment, Gabon
- Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Indonesia
- Gabriel Quijandría, Minister of the Environment, Peru
- Flavien P. Joubert, Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment, Seychelles
- Tuntiak Katan, General Coordinator, Global Alliance of Territorial Communities
- Archana Soreng, Member, Youth Advisory Group on Climate to the U.N. Secretary General; Kharia Tribe, Sundergarh, India
The summit continues on April 23.