The Latest on President Joe Biden's global climate summit (all times local):
8 a.m.
The Biden administration has opened a global climate summit including 40 world leaders.
Biden recently announced a pledge to cut at least in half the climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes that the U.S. pumps out. That's a commitment Biden hopes will spur China and other big polluters to speed up efforts of their own.
Environmental activists with an earth balloon stage a die-in during a rally, marking Earth Day against climate change in front of the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (AP PhotoAhn Young-joon)
Former Vice President Al Gore praised the pledge on Thursday, saying, “Today President Biden showed that his administration is up to the task of tackling climate change.”
Japan also announced a new target, pledging to cut its emissions 46% below 2013 levels by 2030.
The two-day summit will include China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the Pope and will be livestreamed.
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GLOBAL CLIMATE SUMMIT:
President Joe Biden is opening a global climate summit with a pledge to cut at least in half the climate-wrecking coal and petroleum fumes that the U.S. pumps out, a commitment he hopes will spur China and other big polluters to speed up efforts of their own.
Read more:
— What to Watch: In Biden climate show, look for cajoling, conflict, pathos