FOR THE WEEK OF NOV. 10, 2025

U.S. government stays away again as global leaders hold yearly climate change strategy session

There's a notable absence at a United Nations environmental meeting of about 200 countries in Brazil: No one from the U.S. president's administration is among leaders working on new commitments to limit dangerous emissions that cause climate change. The White House and Republican leaders in Congress don't support clean energy and climate action policies, though several U.S. governors are at the two-week gathering in the city of Belém, a main gateway to the Amazon rainforest.

The Climate Change Conference, which began Monday and runs through Oct. 21, is an annual event that began 30 years ago. During Trump's first term (2017-21), U.S. diplomats pulled out from the UN conferences. In 2023, participants pledged to "transition away" from oil, gas and coal (known as fossil fuels) and toward greater reliance on solar and wind power, batteries and hydroelectric power.

The last 10 years have been Earth's hottest on record, driven largely by greenhouse gas emissions that come from fossil fuels. But the issue has lost standing as nations grapple with economic pressures, trade disputes, wars and President Donald Trump's push for more reliance on energy sources blamed for rising average temperatures, more intense storms, melting glaciers and higher sea levels.

The U.S. is the largest greenhouse gas emitter and accounts for 11 percent of global air pollution, behind only China. Trump and his administration call climate change "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" and rolled back federal funding and tax breaks for clean energy introduced under former president Joe Biden. Trump says international climate agreements unfairly burden the U.S. and steer our money to other countries. The president "will not allow the best interest of the American people to be jeopardized by the Green Energy Scam," a White House statement said last week.

UN official says: "Climate cooperation works. The clean energy revolution is booming, though we need to ensure all countries can get fully on board. Last year, $2 trillion flowed into renewables – twice as much as into fossil fuels." – Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change executive secretary

U.S. governor says: "California has a responsibility . . . to remind the world that we're here, that we believe these issues matter." – Gavin Newsom, a Democrat attending for the first time

South American president says: "Mr. Trump is against humanity. His absence here demonstrates that." -- Gustavo Petro of Colombia

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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support.