U.S. officials skip global climate meetings, raising concerns about engagement

U.S. officials have been absent from recent international climate forums, signaling a possible shift in the Trump administration’s approach to global climate diplomacy.

Ben Stockton reports for The Guardian.

In short:

Since Trump’s second term began, U.S. officials have skipped at least four United Nations climate meetings, including those on climate finance and support for developing nations.
Trump blocked government scientists from attending an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting, where experts are preparing a major climate report.
The administration rescinded $4 billion pledged to the Green Climate Fund, which aids poorer nations in addressing climate change.

Key quote:

“It’s entirely possible that in Trump 2 the US simply won’t participate actively in the climate change negotiations.”

— Daniel Bodansky, professor of law at Arizona State University

Why this matters:

The absence of U.S. officials from global climate talks signals a retreat from international cooperation on climate action. Without U.S. leadership, other nations — potentially those with weaker climate commitments — may shape future policies. The decision to leave the Paris Agreement, combined with funding cuts, could slow global efforts to address rising temperatures, extreme weather, and environmental degradation.

www.theguardian.com

U.S. officials skip global climate meetings, raising concerns about engagement

'Why would we want to leave?': Fiji islanders work on climate resilience to avoid relocation

How a U.N. report legitimized carbon capture and skewed decades of climate policy

What is Canada’s climate track record as it seeks 'ever closer' ties with Europe?

Opinion: Will it be AI or the climate crisis that ends humanity? We can make it neither

The slow, surprising death of EV range anxiety

As permitting bill debate approaches, Senators have fresh doubts and an ultimatum

El Niño-driven drought in Papua New Guinea a ‘national crisis’ as rivers dry up and local farms fail

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.