In late November of this year, the White House announced that President Joe Biden will not make an appearance in this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, angering and confusing climate activists. This UN conference aims to formulate concrete plans to combat global warming and greenhouse gasses emissions through crucial policy-making. Vice President Kamala Harris has stepped in to fill the seat for the U.S. representative in place of Biden, but the president’s last minute withdrawal from the conference still poses an essential question: What is the role of political and world leaders in taking an active position to combat climate change?

As a nation, the United States is one of the leading countries in the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. According to Statista in 2021, the United States ranked second in a report of countries that produce the most carbon dioxide per capita. Wouldn’t a country that causes so much harm to the environment try to make more of an effort to reverse this damage? While it is true that several of the policies passed under the Biden administration, such as the Inflation Reduction Plan that aims to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions by investing a large sum of money in clean energy, have made steps to improve the state of global climate change, it doesn’t mean that missteps have not occurred. For example, Biden’s approval of the Willow Project — a large oil drilling plan in Alaska — in March of 2023 was an incredibly frustrating decision, especially coming from Biden, who had frequently displayed commitment to combating climate change prior to this occurrence.

With the UN Climate Change Conference being arguably the most important and impactful environmental conference in the world, bringing together hundreds of world leaders and thousands of participants and representatives, it’s difficult to argue against activists’ criticism of Biden’s sudden withdrawal. Politicians, particularly presidents, must be advocates for climate action, especially in times such as these. This past summer was the hottest one ever recorded according to NASA. Additionally, Maricopa County in Arizona reported over 500 heat-related deaths this summer, and on July 3, the average global temperature reached 62.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the highest ever recorded, according to Science News. At this point, immediate climate action is essential to Earth’s survival, and world leaders must actually carry out the promises they’ve had for decades.

While Biden’s announcement has shocked and discouraged many people, it would be incorrect to place all the blame on the sitting president of the United States. In fact, many of the Republican politicians who are currently battling for the Republican presidential nomination in the upcoming primary election have plans that are detrimental to the environment. In November, NPR found that all seven of the major GOP candidates agreed that the United States should increase oil drilling as an energy source, with only candidate Chris Christie supporting renewable and clean energy sources such as solar and wind power. Additionally, several candidates, such as Vivek Ramaswamy, have stated their belief that climate change is a “hoax.” It is astonishing that there are climate change deniers who could possibly hold presidential or vice presidential positions in just a year’s time; the irresponsibility of several of these politicians cannot be disregarded.

While it is the role of world leaders to lead their nation towards a path of environmental consciousness and climate activism, it is ultimately the role of the general public to elect into office politicians who display a genuine devotion towards protecting the planet from the looming effects of climate change. Considering that a significant portion of the current PHS student body will be eligible to vote at the next presidential or even primary election, this issue is about to be in our hands too. When the 2024 ballot box rolls around, it is high time to remember that unless we significantly decrease global temperatures in the next few years, several ecosystems will begin to collapse, and the impact of natural disasters will be more severe than they ever have been. Voting for a candidate who will help or hurt the environment may truly be a life or death decision, for us, and for all other species that roam the Earth.