Almost 50 world leaders will meet in Egypt Monday to kick off the COP27 climate summit amid concerns it will lack meaningful authority with key players appearing unwilling to take part as other distractions take precedence.
Leaders from two of the world’s top three polluters – China and India – seem likely to skip the event, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had initially declined an invitation before backtracking.
The US, meanwhile, has crucial midterm elections looming large, and G20 nations are due to meet in a few days’ time in Bali – a summit Russian President Vladimir Putin will reportedly attend, unlike the COP27.