What Trump's absence means for COP30

RICHMOND, Virginia - The United States will not send any high-level officials to Brazil for the UN's high-stakes COP30 climate talks that commence next week, the White House confirmed.

The announcement came amid speculation on whether Trump, who announced the U.S. would exit the Paris Agreement on climate change soon after entering office this year, would choose to participate in COP30 in Brazil's Amazonian city of Belém.

Representatives from around the world are expected at the global COP30 summit to discuss and share their efforts to curb climate change and climate finance commitments.

Why is the U.S. opting out and what will it mean? Here's what to know:

Why is the Trump administration skipping COP30?

The United States is not sending any high-level representatives to COP30, a White House official confirmed to Context.

The official said the president "is directly engaging with leaders around the world on energy issues, which you can see from the historic trade deals and peace deals that all have a significant focus on energy partnerships."

"The Green New Scam would have killed America if President Trump had not been elected to implement his commonsense energy agenda, which is focused on utilising the liquid gold under our feet to strengthen our grid stability and drive down costs for American families and businesses," said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers.

"President Trump will not jeopardise our country's economic and national security to pursue vague climate goals that are killing other countries."

The move effectively leaves the U.S. out of official talks with dozens of other countries that will involve climate finance goals and critical new emissions targets, though environmental activists had expressed concern that the Trump team's participation would do little more than serve as a roadblock to any ambitious final agreements.

Steve Milloy, who served as a member of the Trump transition team for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ahead of Trump's first term in office, praised the move.

"Kudos to President Trump for not sending government representatives to COP30," he said in a post on X. "A bunch of us advised the administration to boycott the annual UN climate clown show."

Indeed, Milloy's group, the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, and other conservative-aligned climate contrarian organisations had pressed Trump administration officials not to attend in a recent letter.

What will the Trump administration's absence mean?

Beyond leaving final negotiations in the hands of other major powers like China and the European Union, the United States' official absence could open the door for mayors and governors to make more of a case that local and state-level solutions need to be at the centre of any discussions.

To that end, local officials from around the world are gathering in Rio de Janeiro this week at the COP30 Local Leaders Forum, co-hosted by the COP30 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies, as something of a precursor to COP30.

What other government officials could attend?

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate and top foil for Trump, had been tapped as a co-chair of the COP30 Local Leaders Forum.

"Addressing the climate crisis starts at the local level," Newsom said in a recent statement when he was announced as a co-chair.

"From mayors to governors, regional leaders are uniquely positioned to turn ambition into action, and I am proud to show that subnational governments are stable, innovative, and indispensable partners in tackling the climate crisis.

(Reporting by David Sherfinski; Editing by Anastasia Moloney and Jon Hemming.)