This week is crucial for environmentalists as climate talks under the patronage of the UN are taking place in Brazil, and countries simply brace up to note the seat of the US representative lying vacant this time too.
Diplomats will be relieved if the US does not partake in the climate discourse after having been traumatized by its bullying behavior last month when a thin emission fee was proposed to check climate deterioration.
The whole planet realizes how much tougher it gets to grapple with the climate crisis that refuses to bog down any time soon.
Such is the reason that they seek the US’s proactive involvement and leadership from the front and action on the ground.
Environment news updates in India are right here.
Clearly, Trump’s open support for wider fossil fuel use across the world has made the world frown as he termed the climate crisis “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”
No prizes to guess that the US withdrew its feet from the climate action, and such pooh-pooh behavior also influenced other countries to go slow on their climate policies.
Dear reader, What a big price we bear for their restricted progress.
This was in September that while addressing a UN gathering, Trump said, “If you don’t get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail.”
He further added, “You need strong borders and traditional energy sources if you are going to be great again.”
A Weight Off Their Shoulders: Environment News Updates in India
Climate activists finally breathed as diplomats were briefed that there is no plan to send any high-ranking US official to Belem, Brazil, to attend COP 30.
Addressing media, a White House spokesperson said, “President Trump will not jeopardize our country’s economic and national security to pursue vague climate goals that are killing other countries.”
Although initially there were many promises and strong words from the American side to deter global war, now a wrecking ball seems to have been swung onto such plans.
Simply put, the US seems to be on the other side.
This observation was made by a person who is an ex-official at the state department as he lamented, “Before, it was benign neglect, even in Trump’s first term,
Now it’s quite the opposite. They don’t want to participate and don’t want others to, either.”
He was audacious enough to add, “If the choice is no US or a US that is there as a spoiler, to wreck and disrupt things, then I think most countries would prefer there to be no US,”
“I mean, we are now to the right of Saudi Arabia, when you think about it. The Saudis negotiate hard but they are OK with the Paris agreement. They aren’t against the word ‘climate’.”
“Trump Is a Liar” Leaders Say So :
A conference, which was remarked as a curtain raiser for COP30, was organized last week, and Trump did not turn up, as was thought.
However, his absence was still felt as the eminent personalities from Chile and Colombia termed Trump a liar, as he did not approve the study of climate science.
US Position Has Hit A Nadir: Environment news updates in India.
Going by the views of Todd Stern, who was a prominent climate chief for the US during the Obama administration, the US now adheres to a different view on climate, which is worrisome, and this is a great shift from Trump’s first presidency, and such was not even under George W. Bush.
Remember, it was under Bush’s rule that the US stepped back from accepting the Kyoto Protocol.
Mr Stern sternly stated, “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.”
“I don’t think they would add anything useful. This is a much more aggressive administration now, across the board.”
Heads of Nations Will Unite at Belem, Brazil: Environment News updates India
The agenda of the meeting would be to adopt a working plan for emissions-cutting targets and a rich discourse on climate finance.
But then, leaders fear and do not wish to revisit the nasty melodrama that occurred in London last month as they talked about a small levy on greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.
The reaction from US members was not lesser than a bully, as they threatened the nations with higher fees for docking in American ports and even used the term “visa restrictions” for world leaders and their families if they fail to toe the US line.
As for the US president, he called the climate draft a “global green new scam tax on shipping” and cried hard to invalidate it.
The pollution fee has now been put off, which is a clear indication that the tactics worked.
Mr Sheldon Whitehouse, a democratic senator remarked, “It would have had a microscopic effect on the US economy, particularly compared to Trump’s tariff warfare, and yet they went into full thug tactics to batter that down at the very last minute.”
Al Capone-style attack Likely From Trump Admin:
In all its audacity, the Whitehouse announced that the countries should still expect to see an organized, ruthless and brutal approach on their resolution at COP30.
Nevertheless, the US abstained from climate conferences held in Germany and Peru earlier this year.
Mr Sheldom continued, “I think if you allow yourself to be intimidated by this administration, they will seize all the ground that you cede them, and then come back for more.”
He shared, “It’s only when you stop and fight and push back that you have a chance.”
Drill Baby Drill Approach With No Dilly-Dallying:
With gross negligence to climate-caused suffering, Trump is busy signing standalone deals with Japan and South Korea to ramp up fossil fuel production and also by bringing European nations to the table to buy more oil and gas produced in the US.
Clean Power Is Still On Everyone’s Mind: Environment news updates in India
Despite Trump’s attack, the cause of fossil fuels and renewable projects has taken a hit across the US; the world is still in favor of clean energy.
The International Energy Agency reports that 4600 gigawatts of clean energy are still set to be produced across the world in the coming 5 years.
“The thing about climate change is that you can’t hold back the waves,” said Stern. “There’s irreversible, strong, vigorous motion towards clean energy across the world.
“This administration might want to go back to the future but it’s not going to happen. The countries at Cop won’t be paying any attention to the United States at the national level.”
Well, dear reader, whatever the case might be, this is the global south, where India is located, which has to pay the price of the West’s development, and we ought to accomplish something credible to keep a check on it.
