Donald Trump, president of the United States of America, addresses the general debate of the General Assembly's 80th session in New York | UN Photo/Evan Shneider
US President Donald Trump has described climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”.
Speaking on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Trump doubled down on his rejection of global climate action, saying efforts to cut emissions have weakened economies.
“It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump said.
“All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes.”
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The US president faulted the European Union’s efforts to shrink its carbon footprint and warned that nations investing heavily in renewables would “suffer economically”.
He pushed for “energy dominance”, anchored on oil, gas, coal and nuclear — while dismissing clean energy as unsustainable.
The US under Trump formally withdrew from the Paris Agreement, the 2015 climate pact signed by 195 countries to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
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That decision placed America alongside Yemen, Iran and Libya as the only countries outside the accord.
Trump’s remarks came a day before Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, convenes a climate summit expected to unveil new national climate action plans.
Meanwhile, scientists maintain that climate change is real, largely driven by human activity, and worsening — with rising temperatures, stronger storms and melting ice as evidence.
Across the world, the impact has been devastating—Southern Africa grappled with severe drought in 2024, while Nigeria and other countries were hit by deadly floods.
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The UN has repeatedly warned that delays in action could unleash severe consequences on people and the planet.
