US President Joe Biden invites 40 world leaders including PM Narendra Modi to virtual climate summit

Joe Biden has also invited other QUAD leaders Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also been sent an invitation.

New Delhi: The United States President Joe Biden has invited 40 world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a virtual climate summit, the White House informed on Friday (March 26, 2021).

The Leaders Summit on Climate will be hosted by Joe Biden on April 22 and 23.  

"Today, President Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate he will host on April 22 and 23.  The virtual Leaders Summit will be live-streamed for public viewing," the White House said in an official statement.

The statement added, "President Biden took action his first day in office to return the United States to the Paris Agreement. Days later, on January 27, he announced that he would soon convene a leaders summit to galvanize efforts by the major economies to tackle the climate crisis."

Besides, Prime Minister Modi, Joe Biden has also invited QUAD leaders Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also been sent an invitation. 

In his invitation, the newly-elected US President urged leaders to use the Summit as an opportunity to outline how their countries also will contribute to stronger climate ambition.

As per the White House, the Leaders Summit on Climate will underscore the urgency – and the economic benefits – of stronger climate action and will be a key milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.

Key themes of the Summit will include:

1. 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.

2. Mobilizing public and private sector finance to drive the net-zero transition and to help vulnerable countries cope with climate impacts. 

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

5. 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.