Russia and China to attend climate summit

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s administration promised on Wednesday to rally the world on climate as adversaries China and Russia confirmed participation in a summit and the European Union (EU) and Britain locked in far-reaching carbon reductions.

Just three months into office, Biden will on Thursday and Friday welcome 40 leaders for a virtual Earth Day summit, heralding a US return to the climate frontlines amid mounting worries over the rapid heating of the planet.

Officials said that Biden, who is promoting a green-friendly $2 trillion infrastructure package at home, would announce an ambitious new US target for slashing emissions responsible for climate change over the next decade.

“Climate change is a national security issue. It’s my belief that no nation can be truly secure without meeting it head on,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who along with much of

Biden’s cabinet will participate in the summit.

With Biden’s expected announcement at the summit, a senior administration official said the United States was looking for others also “to make announcements to raise their ambition, to indicate next steps that they intend to be taking, to help solve the climate problem.” “We must respond to the challenges of climate change,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual national address, saying that Russia, the world’s fourth largest emiter, needed to adapt its “entire infrastructure.” China confirmed that President Xi Jinping will take part -- his first summit, even if virtual, with Biden as president amid soaring tensions between the two powers on issues from human rights to trade to defense.

Xi will give an “important speech” at the meeting, the Chinese foreign ministry said.