Groups argue US participation in the UN Climate Change Conference wastes taxpayer money and compromises national security
By Emma Colton Fox News
Excerpt: A coalition of conservative energy and environmental groups are calling on leaders within the Trump administration to snub the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil as President Donald Trump rails against climate change as the “greatest con job ever.”
“As President Trump rightly moves our nation away from climate alarmism, there is nothing to be gained from participating in an anti-American international effort that is designed to cripple the U.S. energy system and economy, compromise our national security, and steal from U.S. taxpayers under the guise of climate aid and/or reparations,” a group of seven conservative energy and environment groups wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital Friday.
The U.N. Climate Change Conference is a yearly event that brings together leaders worldwide to map out and negotiate measures to limit climate change. The conference will be held in Brazil for 2025, running from Nov. 10 through Nov. 21.
The letter was addressed to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Signatories of the letter included the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, American Energy Institute, Heartland Institute, Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), Truth in Energy and Climate, CO2 Coalition and American Lands Council.
“It’s time America walked away from the U.N.’s endless climate conferences, which have never improved the environment but have impoverished billions while enriching China,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, told Fox News Digital of the letter. “By refusing to send a delegation to COP-30, the administration can send a clear message: America will no longer be a victim of the global climate hoax.”
Heartland Institute President James Taylor said the upcoming climate conference would only “illustrate the hypocrisy of the self-appointed ruling class,” while they “saturate the atmosphere with CO2” with their travels.
“The annual UN climate talks exist solely to saturate the atmosphere with CO2 from people congregating from all around the globe, give traveling perks to government bureaucrats and NGOs, and illustrate the hypocrisy of the self-appointed ruling class,” Taylor said. “By not sending an official U.S. delegation, President Trump would be doing more to reduce carbon dioxide emissions than all the participating nations combined.”
Steve Milloy, senior fellow at the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, told Fox Digital that Trump’s comments this week show the U.S. does not need to deploy any officials to Brazil for the conference.
“President Trump this week called climate a hoax and a con job,” Milloy said. “He said countries embracing the green agenda were going to destroy themselves. He slammed the UN as ineffectual. So, there is no need for anyone in the Trump administration to participate in the upcoming U.N. climate conference in Brazil.”
