World Leaders Brace for Potential US Disruption at COP30 Climate Talk
Governments attending the COP30 climate summit in Brazil are preparing for the possibility that the Trump administration could attempt to disrupt negotiations, even if no senior US officials are present.
The White House has confirmed it will not send high-level representatives, noting that President Donald Trump outlined his stance on climate change at the UN. General Assembly in September, calling it the world’s «greatest con job». Despite this, the US could still send negotiators during the conference from November 10–21, ahead of its formal exit from the Paris Agreement in January.
Three European officials told Reuters that the EU is planning for several scenarios, including a full US absence, active interference in negotiations, or side events aimed at criticising climate policies.
COP30 will test whether other nations can push forward climate initiatives despite opposition from the US, the world’s largest economy and top historical CO2 emitter. Officials are wary following Washington’s intervention last month at the International Maritime Organization, which delayed a proposed carbon fee on shipping after threats of tariffs and visa restrictions led some countries to back down.
Reactions of participants
Norway’s climate minister, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, said,
«That a country begins to threaten different types of measures both against countries but also against negotiators like we saw in the IMO process … that worries me.»
Some European officials hope nations will unite to resist any anti-climate pressure from Washington, though there are concerns that threats of tariffs or sanctions may cause self-censorship.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, top Democrat on the US Senate Environment Committee, warned,
«If you allow yourself to be intimidated by this administration, they will seize all the ground that you cede to them and then come back for more.»
The US absence is being partially filled by China, whose industries dominate the global production of key low-carbon technologies. Beijing has reaffirmed support for multilateral cooperation on climate change, emphasising that «no nation can shirk its responsibilities.»
While COP negotiations focus on national contributions rather than binding global rules, issues such as climate finance and the transition from oil and gas remain priorities for Washington, potentially affecting relations with countries that have existing US energy agreements.
David Waskow of the World Resources Institute noted, «There are very few parties that have any interest in busting up the multilateral process. If the US interferes, I think they would find themselves isolated.»
Kursiv also reports that Christiana Figueres says Hurricane Melissa’s devastation in Jamaica exposes the deep inequality of climate change, as poorer nations face rising costs from stronger, warming-fueled storms.
