US President Donald Trump has once again cast doubt on global climate change, branding it “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” during his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday.
Trump, who has long opposed international climate initiatives, argued that measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have done more harm than good, particularly to the economies of countries that adopted them.
“In my opinion, it’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world,” he declared, insisting that climate forecasts made by the UN and other bodies were flawed and costly. “They were made by stupid people that have cost their countries fortunes.”
The US president criticized Europe’s push for a greener economy and warned that heavy reliance on renewable energy would backfire economically. He instead championed “energy dominance,” centered on oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power, while dismissing clean energy as unreliable.
Trump’s stance is consistent with his administration’s decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 Paris Agreement, leaving America among only a handful of nations outside the accord, including Yemen, Iran, and Libya.
His remarks came on the eve of a major climate summit called by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, where new commitments to combat global warming are expected to be announced.
Despite Trump’s dismissal, scientists and the UN maintain that climate change is an escalating crisis, largely caused by human activities. Evidence of its impact includes record-breaking heat, extreme storms, melting ice, and devastating floods in countries like Nigeria, as well as prolonged droughts in regions such as Southern Africa.
The UN has warned that further delays in global climate action could unleash catastrophic consequences for both humanity and the planet.
