A Trump administration official said the “tide was turning” on climate change, which the US president recently called the “greatest con job.” The COP30 UN climate talks are due to begin in Brazil in a few days.
Top officials from the United States will not attend this month’s COP30 climate talks in Brazil, the White House said.
The decision comes as US President Donald Trump prepares to withdraw the country from the Paris climate agreement at the end of the year and pursues policies supportive of fossil fuels.
The official said Trump has already made his administration’s views on multilateral climate action clear in his speech at last month’s United Nations General Assembly, where he called climate change the world’s “greatest con job” and chided countries for setting climate policies that he claimed “have cost their countries fortunes.”
“The president is directly engaging with leaders around the world on energy issues, which you can see from the historic trade deals and peace deals that all have a significant focus on energy partnerships,” the administration official told the new agencies.
The official continued that “the tide is turning” on prioritizing climate change, pointing to a memo circulated this week by billionaire and climate philanthropist Bill Gates, who said it is time to pivot away from focusing on meeting global temperature goals and that climate change will “not lead to humanity’s demise.”
However, climate policy failures are leading to “millions” of avoidable deaths each year, an international team of experts found in a report released this week. Lancet’s Countdown, a major annual study tracking the health impacts of climate change, found 546,000 people died each year between 2012 and 2021 because of exposure to heat, while toxic fumes from wildfires killed a record 154,000 in 2024.
While some environmental advocates may be disappointed by the announcement, there had been concern that any US delegation attending the climate talks may have tried to scupper a deal.
Trump pushes ahead with anti-climate friendly policies
On his first day in office, Trump announced plans to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time, calling it “one-sided” and saying he would prioritize US economic interests over global emissions reductions. The withdrawal is due to take effect in January 2026.
He signed executive orders to boost fossil fuel production, including declaring a “national energy emergency” to streamline drilling permits and expand oil, gas and coal extraction on federal lands.
Earlier this year, the US pressured countries negotiating a global treaty to reduce plastic pollution not to back a deal that would set caps on plastic production.
Trump’s policies roll back Biden-era regulations, such as methane emissions limits from oil and gas operations, to remove “undue burdens” on the fossil fuel industry.
By slashing climate finance pledges and promoting exports like liquified natural gas (LNG), these actions have been criticized for undermining global efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
What is COP30?
The 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) will convene in Belem, Brazil, on November 10.
The two-week talks will be the first to be held in an Amazon city, to spotlight rainforest conservation.
Hosted by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, it aims to rally world leaders to limit global warming to 1.5°C, review progress on COP29 finance pledges and advance adaptation strategies for vulnerable nations.
A key highlight is Brazil’s push for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a $125 billion (€108 billion) fund to reward tropical countries for forest protection starting in 2026.
