THE Scottish Greens have taken aim at president-elect Donald Trump over his “climate conspiracy worldview" ahead of COP29.
Speaking ahead of the conference, taking place from November 11 to 22 in Azerbaijan capital Baku, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie heavily criticised Trump’s stance on climate change:
“The election of Donald Trump underlines the urgent need for the global community to stand together and ensure that we are not derailed by his climate conspiracy worldview or the wrecking ball he will undoubtedly take to the world around us," he said.
Trump has been similarly criticised for his climate views by environmentalist groups, with it being reported by The New York Times that he plans to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement for the second time.
The president-elect previously referred to climate change as a “hoax” and “created by the Chinese to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."
The previous Trump Administration rolled back climate regulations to allow for more drilling and formally withdrew from the Paris Agreement in 2020, citing an “unfair economic burden” it placed on America.
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty signed by 196 UN countries. It’s a commitment for all signatories to reduce carbon emissions and to collaborate on the impacts of climate change.
In the same statement, Harvie called on all governments to take urgent action on climate change and “to strain every sinew to save future generations from complete climate catastrophe.”
“We all know that global temperatures are rising at an alarming rate, but world leaders are refusing to take the action that is necessary."
He continued: “The impact of global climate change is all around us, with extreme weather events becoming far more common, extinction threats to some of our most iconic nature and food shortages from the decimation of crops and agriculture.
“Previous conferences have seen lots of words but pitifully few actions. How many more wildfires, floods and heat waves will it take for leaders to finally take the action needed to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels?”
