EU Commissioner calls US absence at COP30 a "watershed moment" for climate policy

EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra stated that the US decision not to participate in the COP30 climate conference would be a "game changer" for global climate diplomacy. According to him, the refusal of the world's second-largest polluter to participate "obviously harms" international efforts. This is stated in a Politico article, writes UNN.

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Hoekstra emphasized that the absence of the United States at the climate summit, which opens on November 10 in the Brazilian city of Belém, will have serious consequences for the entire planet.

We are talking about the largest, most dominant, most important geopolitical player in the world. It is the second largest emitter 

– noted the European Commissioner.

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He stressed that when a country of such magnitude effectively withdraws from global climate initiatives, it "obviously harms" collective efforts.

If a player of this level says, "Well, I'll go, and you all will deal with it," that changes the rules of the game" 

– said Hoekstra.

At the same time, he noted that some US mayors and governors remain supporters of climate policy, despite the position of the federal administration.

The Donald Trump administration previously stated that it would not send "high-ranking representatives" to COP30, reflecting Washington's new course – scaling back climate initiatives in favor of energy nationalism.

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