Photo: U.S. Department of State from United States / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
China Declines Hosting Duties for 2028 UN Climate Summit
China has decided not to host the COP33 UN climate summit scheduled for 2028, following months of internal deliberations. The decision leaves the opportunity open for other Asian nations to submit bids, as rules under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dictate that an Asian country should hold the event that year.
The move has disappointed several international observers and climate experts who hoped China, the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter, would step into a prominent global leadership role. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore expressed disappointment over the outcome, noting that he supported the idea of China hosting the conference.
Rapid Clean Energy Expansion in China
China's decision comes during a major domestic energy transition from coal dependency toward clean technology. Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry highlighted that China has made rapid progress in adopting low-carbon technologies. China's renewable energy generation capacity recently surpassed its coal capacity, and its greenhouse gas emissions showed a slight decrease this year. Additionally, electric vehicles accounted for nearly two-thirds of the country's auto market last month, with clean energy sectors driving over 90 percent of China's investment growth last year.
Gareth Redmond-King of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank noted that China's status as an industrial powerhouse leading in clean energy deployment would have made it a significant host for COP33.
Potential Reasons and Asian Alternatives
While official reasons for the decision were not explicitly stated, analysts suggested the timing of the U.S. political cycle may have played a role. COP33 is scheduled to run from November 6 to November 17, 2028, coinciding with the U.S. presidential election on November 7, 2028. President Donald Trump has rejected climate science, pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, and initiated withdrawal from the 1992 UNFCCC treaty. Analysts suggest China remains cautious about filling the leadership vacuum left by the U.S. government.
With China opting out, other Asian nations are considering bids to host COP33. Potential contenders include:
- Uzbekistan
- South Korea
- Indonesia
- Thailand
India had previously considered offering to host COP33 earlier this year, but also chose not to move forward. A final decision on the 2028 host is unlikely to occur during the ongoing COP31 summit in Turkey, which is being jointly presided over by the Turkish and Australian governments. Furthermore, COP33 will mark a critical milestone as it includes the global stocktake, evaluating international progress under the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global temperature increases.
Source: China rules out hosting Cop33 climate summit in 2028