U.S. envoy warns conference, 'We should believe' Trump, who has 'vowed' to withdraw from the Paris Agreement

Speaking at the United Nations COP29 climate conference on Monday, U.S. climate envoy John Podesta said President-elect Donald Trump's "relationship to climate change is captured by the words 'hoax' and 'fossil fuels.'" Podesta warned that Trump should be believed when he said he would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, though he added that the work to fight climate change would continue in the U.S.

Video Transcript

So I want to address tonight a topic that is on everyone's mind, the US election for those of us dedicated to climate action.

Last week's outcome in the United States is obviously bitterly disappointing, particularly because of the unprecedented resources and ambition.

President Biden and Vice President Harris brought to the climate fight in January.

We're going to inaugurate a president whose relationship to climate change is captured by the words hoax and fossil fuels.

He's vowed to dismantle our environmental safeguards and once again, withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

That is what he has said and we should believe him.

The United States is a democracy and in a democracy, the will of the people prevail our administration is working with the incoming administration to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power.

But what what I want to tell you today is that while the United States Federal government under Donald Trump may put climate change action on the back burner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States with commitment and passion and belief.

As President Biden said in the rose garden last week, setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable.

This is not the end of our fight for a cleaner safer planet.

Facts are still facts.

Science is still science.

The fight is bigger than one election, one political cycle in one country.

This fight is bigger uh still because we are all living through a year defined by the climate crisis in every country of the world.