In remarks prepared for delivery on Nov. 11 at the COP27 summit in Egypt, President Joe Biden is expected to remind the 196 parties who signed on to the Paris Climate Agreement to keep their eyes on the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, senior administration officials said.
Biden is expected to discuss in a speech and bilateral meetings how Washington is partnering with developing countries to lower emissions by tapping into public and private partnerships, U.S. efforts to decarbonize sectors such as shipping and the pledge to lower methane emissions, the officials said.
Many African nations attending COP27 have called on the United States and other major economic powers to provide cash and other assistance to nations suffering from the impacts of climate change - especially droughts, flooding, and other acts of nature experts say a rise in global temperature has amplified.
Along with his focus on climate, Biden will also have a bilateral meeting with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and "human rights will feature prominently in those discussions," administration officials said.
The U.S. has "raised repeated concerns" about jailed activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, whose case has attracted global attention, with his health deteriorating during a 200-plus day hunger strike.
Biden will "continue to urge the Egyptian government to release political prisoners and undertake human rights related legal reforms," said one of the officials.