COP30: Global leaders target Trump for lack of action on climate

US President Donald Trump has faced backlash from global leaders regarding his views on climate change, just ahead of the international COP30 conference.

President Trump, who will not be present at the summit taking place in Belém, Brazil, was accused of dishonesty by the presidents of Colombia and Chile due to his denial of climate science.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recognized the diminishing political backing for climate issues, stating that it used to be a common cause both internationally and in the UK, but “unfortunately that agreement is no longer present today”.

In the coming fortnight, nations will attempt to forge a new agreement on climate action, particularly aimed at increasing funding for forest conservation.

Several leaders from major countries—India, Russia, the US, and China—are conspicuously missing from this year’s conference.

And although Trump is absent from the discussions in Belém, his opinions on climate change remain a significant topic among other attending leaders.

During a UN address in September, the US president referred to climate change as “the biggest hoax ever played on the world”.

He remarked: “The entire globalist agenda, urging prosperous industrial nations to self-inflict harm and severely disrupt their societies, needs to be completely and utterly dismissed.”

Without specifically naming him, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva cautioned on Thursday about “extremist forces that create misinformation and are dooming future generations to live on a planet forever changed by global warming”.

The leaders of Colombia and Chile went even further, labeling the US president a liar and urging other nations to disregard US attempts to withdraw from climate initiatives.

Maisa Rojas, Chile’s minister of environment, stated to the BBC: “The science is abundantly clear. It is crucial not to distort the truth.”

Yet, while criticism of Trump resonated with the audience, reaching consensus on new measures to combat climate change remains a considerable challenge.

Only a limited number of leaders have arrived in Belém, and most nations have yet to present new proposals for reducing carbon emissions, which are the fundamental driver of increasing temperatures.

Despite Starmer’s recognition of the declining global political support for climate initiatives, he conveyed to the attendees: “My message is that the UK is fully committed.”

However, on Wednesday night, disappointing the Brazilian hosts, the UK decided to withdraw from its flagship $125bn (£95bn) fund aimed at supporting the world’s rainforests.

President Lula aimed to secure $25bn for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility from various public funds—mainly from developed nations like the UK—to assist governments and communities in safeguarding vital rainforests, including the Amazon and the Congo Basin.

Protecting these ecosystems is essential for addressing climate change—they occupy only 6% of the globe’s land but sequester billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases and house half of the Earth’s species.

The UK’s action has come as a shock, as it had actively participated in designing the fund and initiated a global commitment to halt deforestation by 2030 during the COP summit held in Glasgow in 2021.

Lord Zach Goldsmith, who was involved with the matter during his tenure as environment minister, told the BBC’s PM program: “The assumption was that the UK would take the lead, and at the last moment, the UK has opted out. It has caused significant frustration to say the least here in Brazil… the Brazilian government is secretly outraged.”

This decision also appears inconsistent with the Prince of Wales’s position. While addressing leaders on Thursday, he labeled the fund “a visionary initiative toward recognizing nature’s contribution to climate stability” and nominated it for his £1m Earthshot Prize.

Prince William sought to motivate leaders to put aside their differences and make progress in addressing climate change.

“I firmly believe in the power of urgent optimism: the belief that even amidst overwhelming challenges, we possess the creativity and resolve to effect change, and to accomplish it promptly,” he stated.

He urged them to act for the sake of future generations.

“Let us respond to this moment with the clarity that history expects from us. Let us be the generation that reversed the tide—not for accolades, but for the quiet gratitude of those not yet born,” he mentioned.

Beginning Monday, countries will engage in two weeks of further negotiations regarding climate change, focusing on critical issues surrounding how to mobilize finance already pledged for those most affected by the harshest effects of climate change.

Recent weeks have witnessed catastrophic extreme weather patterns worldwide.

Hurricane Melissa, which struck the Caribbean last week, ranks among the most powerful the island nations have ever encountered, resulting in over 75 fatalities.

A recent analysis from Imperial College indicated that climate change augmented the extreme rainfall associated with the Category 5 hurricane by 16%.

Additional reporting provided by Ione Wells and Justin Rowlatt