The intersessional climate meetings in Bonn, Germany, which mark the midway point to the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP30, in Brazil, are kicking off today, but without the United States.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department confirmed that they would not be sending a delegation but declined to offer specific reasons for the withdrawal. This will be the first time in the nearly 30-year history of the Bonn climate talks that the U.S. will not attend.
These meetings are an essential part of the final agreements made at COP30 in November. The decision to skip it means that the U.S. will not have as much of a say in the final discussions — but some experts say that their absence might make for more streamlined talks and make room for new leaders in the climate and development space.
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About the author
Jesse Chase-Lubitz
Jesse Chase-Lubitz covers climate change and multilateral development banks for Devex. She previously worked at Nature Magazine, where she received a Pulitzer grant for an investigation into land reclamation. She has written for outlets such as Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and The Japan Times, among others. Jesse holds a master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics.
