With barely a month as Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson is coming under fire for not having met with the UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa.
Espinosa sent a request to Tillerson for a face-to-face meeting but the newly minted secretary has been traversing the globe and meeting with other diplomats.
That’s not sitting well with worried environmentalists and the impecunious United Nations.
Espinosa made her comments after a meeting this week in Chicago where she discussed making businesses less carbon intensive.
She told reporters she’s not surprised given it was the beginnings of a new administration. She also recognized the importance of having the U.S. as a partner; before leaving office, President Obama sent the U.N. climate green fund $1 billion.
‘Seat at the table’
Tillerson has been a proponent of a carbon tax and said at his confirmation hearings the United States should have a “seat at the table” when asked about the Paris Climate Accord.
Espinosa admitted the U.S. was an important ally and she looked forward to meeting with the administration once everything has settled down.
