Trump Dismisses Climate Change as “The Greatest Con Job” in UN Address

U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first in-person address to the United Nations General Assembly in seven years, dismissed climate change as “the greatest con job” in the world. His remarks, made on Tuesday, reinforced his long-standing skepticism of global environmental initiatives.

Trump claimed that there is “no global warming” and, instead, the world is experiencing “global cooling.” He alleged that all climate forecasts issued by the UN and other international organizations had been “erroneous.”

The comments came just a day before UN Secretary-General António Guterres convenes a high-level climate summit focused on countries’ new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. Governments are expected to submit their third round of pledges to cut emissions and accelerate decarbonization ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

While Trump attacked renewable energy, calling wind power “a costly failure” and fossil fuels “the backbone of safe economies,” other nations highlighted their ambitious climate goals. On the eve of the UN climate pledging summit, Australia announced a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 62–70% by 2035 compared with 2005 levels, building on its earlier 43% reduction pledge for 2030. The UK, Japan, and Brazil have also recently unveiled stronger commitments, with over 100 updated pledges expected by the end of this month, including from China, the European Commission, and Mexico.

Australia, which is bidding to co-host COP31 with Pacific island nations, described the energy transition to net zero as “a golden economic opportunity” and urged others to pursue bold climate action. Meanwhile, the EU failed to reach agreement on its 2035 emissions-cutting target ahead of the summit.

Scientific evidence, however, continues to underscore the urgency of action. Over the past decade, the rate of glacier melt has accelerated by 36%, with 273 billion tons of ice disappearing each year—equivalent to the world’s 30-year freshwater consumption. Spanish scientists have also discovered massive methane columns, up to 700 meters high, in the Antarctic Ocean—methane being 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide in heating the atmosphere.

Adding to the pressure, the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) released a sweeping report titled “Cradle to Grave: The Health Toll of Fossil Fuels and the Imperative for a Just Transition.” The study details the severe health impacts of fossil fuel use across the human lifespan, from pre-birth to old age.

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Yet Trump sharply criticized Europe’s transition to renewables, claiming it weakened economies. “Germany tried green energy, and it led to bankruptcy. Now they are turning back to traditional sources, and they are safe,” he argued. He further mocked wind power, saying: “The wind is not strong enough to turn these huge, terrible windmills that just stand and rust.”

For world leaders gathering in New York, the clash of visions could not be starker: a global push for ambitious climate pledges on one side, and Trump’s full-throated defense of fossil fuels on the other.

The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy