The White House has opted to not send any high-ranking U.S. officials to the U.N.’s annual COP global climate conference this year.

California is sending a large delegation, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who hopes to build on the state’s reputation as a global climate leader.

The conference comes as the world is on track to overshoot a critical 1.5 degree Celsius global warming threshold.

Nearly 200 nations are gathering this week in Belém, Brazil, to kick off the annual United Nations climate policy summit, but there is one glaring exception: The Trump administration is not sending any high-ranking officials.

California hopes it can fill in the gap. The state, as it usually does, is sending a large delegation to the Conference of the Parties, including first-time attendee Gov. Gavin Ne

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