Representative Sean Casten of Illinois said a 19-member congressional delegation would play an "important diplomatic function" at COP31 talks in Antalya. (AFP Photo)
A 19-member U.S. congressional delegation will attend the COP31 climate summit in Türkiye’s southern province of Antalya from Nov. 9 to 20 despite Washington’s absence from negotiations, a Democratic lawmaker has said.
Illinois Representative Sean Casten said the delegation would play an important diplomatic role following his party’s sweeping midterm victory. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement for a second time upon returning to office.
“We will not, of course, be in the majority at that point, but we will be received with the understanding of what just happened,” Casten said during a press call on Nov. 4.
The Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Institute, a nonpartisan think tank leading the delegation, plans meetings with policymakers, civil society groups and business leaders on renewed U.S. engagement in climate, energy and economic policy. State and local leaders will also attend under the America is All In coalition.
Casten said countries shared challenges including climate refugees, climate-driven financial volatility and the need to decarbonize their economies, particularly given the Iran war. He said conveying shared challenges and the message that Americans had spoken remained valuable.
Trump’s threatened veto raises questions about how much Democrats can achieve on climate even after taking control of both the House and Senate. Casten said tariffs raising the cost of solar panels and electric vehicles, alongside the war’s impact on gasoline prices, were the two biggest drivers of inflation.
He said these pressures and Republicans’ past support for emissions trading and ozone protection left him cautiously optimistic about legislative opportunities.
The United States never ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and has twice withdrawn from the Paris Agreement under Trump. Washington is not participating in the COP31 negotiations.
