Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to attend a global climate summit in Dubai, according to a source familiar with the plans, following pushback over President Joe Biden skipping the opening of the gathering this week.
Harris’ expected attendance at COP28 is in line with her recent steps to ramp up public messaging on climate. In recent months, the vice president has attended climate-related events, including talking to students and young voters on an issue central to them.
But it also comes after climate activists and experts expressed frustration with Biden missing the gathering this year. Since taking office, Biden has attended the annual UN climate summit in person in 2021 and 2022.
CNN reached out to the vice president’s office for comment. Kirsten Allen, a spokeswoman for Harris, previously said that Harris didn’t have plans to attend the conference. Bloomberg first reported her expected plans.
When asked about the president skipping the summit, the White House has cited the attendance of top US officials, including US climate envoy John Kerry and White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi. The conference will be attended by nearly 200 countries.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Read the full article here