Diplomats worry over possible disruption by US at the COP30 climate summit

7/11/2025 17:04

Governments heading to the U.N. COP30 climate summit in Brazil are bracing for the possibility that the Trump administration may seek to disrupt negotiations at the event - even without any U.S. officials showing up.



The White House has said it will not send high-level officials to the annual conference, noting that President Donald Trump made his views clear at the U.N. General Assembly in September when he described climate change as the world's "greatest con job".



However, the U.S. retains the option to send negotiators at any point during the November 10-21 COP30 talks, ahead of the country formally exiting the international Paris climate agreement in January.



Three European officials told Reuters the EU has been preparing for multiple scenarios at COP30 - including the U.S. skipping it entirely, actively participating and seeking to block deals, or staging sideline events to denounce climate policies.



COP30 will be a test of other world leaders' willingness to step up their efforts to limit climate change, despite opposition from the U.S., the world's biggest economy and largest historical CO2 emitter.