File photo: US President Donald Trump (Picture credit: AP)
The United States will not send any top officials to the COP30 climate talks in Brazil later this month, a White House official confirmed on Saturday, as President Donald Trump focuses on boosting fossil fuels rather than global climate negotiations.Trump, who withdrew from the Paris Agreement for the second time after returning to the White House in January, had already been expected to skip the leaders’ summit ahead of the annual UN climate conference in Belém. However, it now appears no senior American negotiators will attend the talks scheduled from November 10 to 21 either.“The US is not sending any high-level representatives to COP30,” a White House official said on condition of anonymity, as cited by news agency AFP. “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 source added.Brazil has said fewer than 60 world leaders have confirmed attendance for the November 6–7 summit. The leaders of France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Norway, Colombia, Chile, Cape Verde and Liberia are expected to attend, while China will be represented by Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. The move comes as Trump’s administration continues its rollback of multilateral climate commitments. “The Green New Scam would have killed America if President Trump had not been elected to implement his commonsense energy agenda – which is focused on utilizing the liquid gold under our feet,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said, as per The Guardian. She added that Trump “will not jeopardise our country’s economic and national security to pursue vague climate goals.”Earlier this year, the US state department closed its climate office, and the post of climate envoy was scrapped. The administration has also used its diplomatic leverage to promote fossil fuel interests, even threatening countries that supported the UN’s carbon pricing system under the International Maritime Organisation.While the federal government steps back, more than 100 US state and local leaders, including governors and mayors, are still expected to attend COP30. “We are showing up in force,” said Gina McCarthy, co-chair of the America Is All In coalition, according to AFP. “Local leaders here have authority to act on their own behalf, to take climate action at home and abroad.”The absence of a high-level US delegation comes as many countries struggle to finalise new emissions targets before the summit. Former US climate negotiator Todd Stern said, “The president has made it clear he wants to withdraw from the Paris agreement so it doesn’t surprise me they aren’t sending anyone because they aren’t engaged in this.”In all, 170 delegations are accredited for COP30, which is set to take place amid global political turmoil that many fear could overshadow the climate crisis.
