United States President Joe Biden said Friday U.S. has invited Russia and China leaders to participate in a global summit on climate change in April 2021.

According to a White House statement, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among forty world leaders invited to the April 22-23 summit.

Just in: @potus invites 40 world leaders to a virtual climate summit April 22-23. “The Leaders Summit on Climate will underscore the urgency and the economic benefits of stronger climate action,” the White House says adding there needs to be a push to limit warming to 1.5 degrees

— Kevin Bohn (@KevinBohn) March 26, 2021

Mr. Biden told reporters he hadn’t yet spoken to the two leaders about it, but both know they are invited.

Joe Biden’s Earth Day global summit on climate is part of his determination to elevate climate change as a top priority. It will be held virtually given epidemic restrictions and will be live-streamed for public watching.

Climate change is one area United States officials believe it is possible to do business with Russia and China, despite profound differences on a host of other matters.

At his first solo news conference since taking office, President Biden called Putin and Xi supporters of autocracy on Thursday.

The White House statement stated a central goal of the Earth Day summit and a separate gathering in the Scottish city of Glasgow in November would be to galvanize efforts to keep within reach a goal of limiting planetary warming to 1.5°C.

While speaking as he departed the White House for a weekend at his Delaware home, Mr. Biden also said he had just spoken with British PM Boris Johnson, indicating the subject was also the climate change summit.

Climate summit will Make Seventeen Nations responsible for Eighty percent Emissions

Climate Change was also a topic when Joe Biden spoke to European leaders at a virtual summit of the European Council on Thursday.

Joe Biden’s government is expected to declare what the White House termed ‘an ambitious 2030 target’ for reducing carbon-emissions by the time of the summit. Any intention Mr. Biden announces is probably to face disagreement from GOPs concerned that the Democratic President will sacrifice economic growth and jobs while pursuing his climatic change plans.

The White House stated that U.S. President is urging world leaders to use the summit as an opportunity to outline how their nations will contribute to reduced carbon emissions.

The Climate summit will bring together 17 nations responsible for 80% of global emissions and global GDP. The invitee list of 40 countries includes Mexico and Canada and allies in Asia and Europe and Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Nigeria.

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