COP GETS WHITEHOUSE INSTEAD OF WHITE HOUSE

COP GETS WHITEHOUSE INSTEAD OF WHITE HOUSE: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) arrives in Belém, Brazil, for COP30 today as the sole U.S. federal representative at the United Nations talks. Whitehouse is keeping a packed itinerary, where his office said he will meet with elected officials along with business and global climate leaders. His goal is to show the U.S. public still broadly supports addressing climate change despite Trump abstaining from the negotiations, his office said in a press release.

Whitehouse said he plans to harp on Trump and GOP policies that he cast as unpopular and responsible for boosting energy costs. “Amidst sinking approvals and a shellacking in the most recent elections, it’s no surprise the Trump administration is unwilling to defend the fossil fuel industry’s unpopular and corrupt climate denial lies on the global stage,” he said in a statement.

Whitehouse will participate in events Friday on offshore wind, shipping and non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions before delivering a keynote speech at a roundtable with elected officials from other nations hosted by the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. On Saturday, he will weigh in on methane rules, net-zero policies and the effect climate change has on oceans.