The United States hoped to continue to lead global intergovernmental cooperation above COP 28 of the United Nations Climate Summit, but was unexpectedly hit.
Given that the United States is about to hold a presidential election in 2024, the possibility of Trump's comeback has raised concerns among many countries, who are concerned that the current promise is just a castle in the air with an extremely short validity period.
Samoa's climate minister, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Pose Salesa Schuster, stated that it is regrettable to see the United States lose its leading position in climate. He is concerned that the financial support promised by the United States to developing countries to cope with extreme weather will eventually come to nothing like during Trump's previous presidency.
Many people believe that even if Biden can stay in office next year and continue to serve as the President of the United States, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives will still jeopardize the series of clean energy incentives currently promised by the White House and affect Biden's climate financing plan. This is also an important reason why the credibility of the US climate in climate negotiations has been questioned.
For a long time, the United States has been seen as an important but less reliable ally in climate negotiations. Due to differences between the two parties, the US Congress was unable to approve relevant legislation to support the Kyoto Protocol, nor did it fulfill its promise in 2014. It promised to donate $3 billion to the United Nations Climate Fund at the time, but was unable to complete the final $1 billion disbursement.
Paul Bledsoe, a senior White House official during the Clinton era, stated that the risk of a shift in US government policy is shrouded in negotiations at the COP 28 summit, and the Republican Party's stubborn attitude on climate action and the possibility of Trump's return to the White House mean that the US climate representative will have to face additional skepticism.
US officials have been trying to declare that much of the inflation reduction bill that the White House is proud of will continue. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz pointed out that many green investments are very cutting-edge and have already been deployed, so they will not be revoked. He pointed out that these projects are actually very popular and difficult to withdraw, and it is expected that their impact will exceed the expectations of most people.
John Podesta, Senior Advisor on Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation at the White House, also added that related employment and economic benefits will prevent Republicans from abolishing support for clean energy.
Officials participating in COP 28 in the United States have continuously emphasized the need to ensure the long-term effectiveness of climate policies through laws and other rules. But there are still doubts about the reliability of the United States in climate action.
Michai Robertson, Special Advisor for Small Island Countries, is concerned that if Trump were to tear up the global climate agreement again, it would turn it into a joke.