Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval went to Dubai for COP28 climate summit

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval spent the last few days in Dubai.

Yes, Dubai.

Pureval attended the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in the United Arab Emirates as part of a delegation of mayors from across the country, including Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. The trip was paid for by Bloomberg Philanthropies, according to Pureval's spokesman Jack Willingham. The Enquirer first asked about the trip last Thursday. The response came Monday at 4:30 p.m.

Pureval was expected to return Monday and has a scheduled press conference related to Black Tech Week on Tuesday.

Pureval was unavailable for comment. Pureval never publicly mentioned he would be attending the conference. But he partly ran for office on a platform of green sustainability. A signature piece of legislation during his term has been the Green Cincinnati Plan, which was spearheaded by Councilwoman Meeka Owens. Pureval, after being elected in 2021, created a new council committee called the Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee. Owens is the chairwoman of the committee.

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who is a UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, participated in COP28, where representatives from over 190 countries gathered to discuss climate change, according to the Bloomberg Philanthropies website.

Bloomberg Philanthropies and the COP28 Presidency, the website said, hosted the Local Climate Action Summit in recognition of "the critical role local leaders play in reducing emissions, addressing climate risk, and supercharging national efforts to move further and faster on climate progress."

Pureval was announced in July 2022 as part of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, which brought together 40 mayors from around the world for a year-long education and professional development program.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval spent the weekend in Dubai at COP28