Former U.S. President Donald Trump used his UN comeback speech Tuesday to defend fossil fuels and dismiss climate science, calling climate change “the greatest con job ever.”
In a fiery hour-long address, Trump mocked renewable energy as “a joke,” praised “clean, beautiful coal,” and claimed the idea of a carbon footprint was a hoax invented with “evil intentions.” He argued solar and wind were too costly and ineffective, vowing to scrap clean energy tax credits and block new wind projects.
Trump, who has long aligned with oil and gas interests, said his administration had “unleashed” new drilling for coal, oil, and gas. During his first term, he withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement; in his second, Washington has gone further, embedding LNG sales in trade deals and threatening countries that adopt international carbon pricing.
The remarks came on the eve of a climate summit called by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as China prepares a major new climate pledge. Beijing has sought to position itself as a leader in exporting clean energy technologies, from solar panels to electric vehicles.
Environmental groups condemned Trump’s speech. “Climate change is here, it’s costly, and people need real solutions — not propaganda designed to boost fossil fuel profits,” said Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
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