BELÉM, Brazil —World leaders have sharply criticised US President Donald Trump for rejecting climate science, as nations gather in the Amazonian city of Belém for the COP30 summit — a critical meeting aimed at forging a new global deal on climate action.
Trump, who declined to attend the summit, was branded a “liar” by the presidents of Colombia and Chile for dismissing scientific evidence on global warming. His absence, alongside other major powers including India, Russia, and China, has cast a shadow over the two-week negotiations.
At the UN General Assembly in September, Trump described climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” adding that global efforts to curb emissions “inflict pain on successful industrialised nations.” His remarks have drawn widespread condemnation.
Without naming the US leader, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned against “extremist forces that fabricate fake news and are condemning future generations to life on a planet altered forever by global warming.”
Chile’s Environment Minister Maisa Rojas told the BBC that the science was “very clear” and urged leaders “not to falsify the truth.” Colombia’s leadership echoed similar sentiments, calling on nations to “ignore the denialism coming from Washington.”
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer admitted that global political unity on climate issues had weakened, noting that what was once a shared international cause had now “lost consensus.” Nonetheless, he reaffirmed Britain’s commitment to climate action.
“My message is that the UK is all-in,” Starmer said, addressing delegates.
However, in a move that surprised many, the UK government opted out of a proposed $125 billion rainforest protection fund — the Tropical Forests Forever Facility — designed to channel financial support to nations preserving major ecosystems such as the Amazon and the Congo Basin.
The decision has sparked frustration among host nation Brazil, which had hoped developed countries, particularly the UK, would contribute $25 billion toward the fund. Former UK environment minister Lord Zac Goldsmith told the BBC that “the UK walking away at the last minute has caused real frustration — to put it mildly — here in Brazil.”
The UK’s withdrawal also appeared to contradict the message from Prince William, who called the fund “a visionary step toward valuing nature’s role in climate stability” while shortlisting it for his £1 million Earthshot Prize.
“Let us rise to this moment with the clarity that history demands of us,” Prince William urged leaders. “Let us be the generation that turned the tide — not for applause, but for the quiet gratitude of those yet to be born.”
The stakes at COP30 are high, as countries face mounting pressure to meet financing pledges for communities most affected by extreme weather events. Recent weeks have seen devastating global disasters, including Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that killed over 75 people in the Caribbean.
Scientists at Imperial College London found that climate change increased the storm’s rainfall by 16pc, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated global action.
As negotiations resume on Monday, delegates will grapple with a familiar challenge — bridging political divides and restoring credibility to international climate commitments in an era of growing scepticism and populist resistance.
