With the U.S. absent, China takes over at COP30

The U.S. void is big at this year’s United Nations Climate Conference, and China is showing that it's ready to fill the space. POLITICO’s Zack Colman is on the ground and explains the implications of China becoming the dominant force in global climate talks. Plus, environmental groups sued the Interior Department to block a planned oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico next month. Zack Colman covers climate change for POLITICO.  Josh Siegel is an energy reporter for POLITICO and the host of POLITICO Energy. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and producer of POLITICO Energy.  Alex Keeney is a senior audio producer at POLITICO.  Ben Lefebvre is the deputy energy editor at POLITICO.  Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. For more news on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Our theme music is by Pran Bandi.