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Some US NGO staffers and children gather in New York holding a creative, friendly activity ahead of Climate Week and the Global Summit of the Future, on September 21, 2024. Photo: VCG

The 62nd Plenary Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) opened on Monday in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, which marks the first time that an IPCC plenary session has been held in China. 

The event is focused on reviewing and finalizing the preliminary drafts for the contributions of the three Working Groups to the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), as well as the Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture Utilization, and Storage, as stated on the IPCC's official website. 

Throughout the week-long meeting, representatives from the 195 member governments of the Panel will also discuss the schedules and financial plans for these four reports.

Reuters reported ahead of the event, quoting two sources, that the Trump administration has "halted the participation of US scientists" in major UN climate change assessments. The report said it is part of US' "broader withdrawal from climate change mitigation efforts and multilateral cooperation."

From quitting the Paris Agreement again to declaring a "national energy emergency," and from reopening oil and gas development in protected areas to planning to dismiss parts of environmental departments, discussions about the reversal of US climate policy in the next four years are intensifying, with its consequences already becoming evident.

"We will drill, baby, drill." In his inauguration speech in late January, US President Donald Trump used this slogan to outline his energy policy and signed a series of related executive orders on his first day in office.

In just one month, the impact is already being felt.

The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), a group of global banks committed to reducing carbon emissions through their investments, is considering major changes, including possibly dropping its key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 C, as reported by Bloomberg on Saturday. 

This comes after major US banks from Wall Street - such as JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs - quit the alliance in late 2024 and early 2025, pressured by the Trump administration's opposition to climate policies and its push for fossil fuel production, leaving the NZBA struggling to maintain its influence and adapt to a shifting political landscape, Bloomberg reported.

However, the climate issues faced by humanity are becoming increasingly severe. UN weather experts from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed in January that 2024 was the hottest year on record, at 1.55 C above pre-industrial temperatures. 

At the same time, while the US takes a step back on climate action, some developing countries are stepping up to take greater responsibility and contribute more to the global climate process.

Reversing course

Regarding the Trump administration's climate and energy policies, one of the top priorities has been the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. 

On November 4, 2020, the US formally withdrew from the Paris Agreement for the first time. On January 20, 2021, the then President Joe Biden, on his first day in office, signed an executive order announcing the US would rejoin the agreement. This year, on January 20, Trump, upon taking office, signed another executive order declaring the US would once again exit the agreement, with this withdrawal set to take effect on January 27, 2026, the Associated Press reported.

However, the US is experiencing increasing extreme weather events, including this year's catastrophic California wildfires and devastating hurricanes last year, both of which have inflicted massive losses on communities and local economies. 

"Every year, far too many US communities are bombarded with deadly wildfires, floods, and hurricanes that know no borders. At the same time, the transition to a low-carbon economy is already underway," Ani Dasgupta, president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, said in a statement.

"Walking away from the Paris Agreement won't protect Americans from climate impacts, but it will hand China and the European Union a competitive edge in the booming clean energy economy and lead to fewer opportunities for American workers," he stated.

According to The New York Times, the Trump administration has warned more than 1,100 employees of the US Environmental Protection Agency that they could face dismissal at any time.

People watch as the Eaton Fire engulfs a structure in Altadena, California, on January 8, 2025. Photo: VCG

Another key point of Trump administration's energy policy is the declaration of a "national energy emergency," promising to unleash American energy and encouraging expanded oil and gas extraction.

According to a Guardian report, as the Trump administration rolls back environmental protection and cuts renewable energy incentives after he took over power in January, state officials and advocates are stepping in to drive climate action. Some are challenging these rollbacks in court, while others are pushing for states to meet climate goals independently of federal support.

Key actions include creating a legal fund to challenge Trump, passing policies to make oil companies pay for climate damages, and expanding wind power projects. As Devin Callahan of the New York League of Conservation Voters stated, states are not powerless against these environmental attacks.

The scenario of local governments and the federal government being out of sync on climate action was already apparent during the country's last withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

In December 2018, at the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24), the US not only lacked high-level officials in attendance, but also did not set up a national pavilion. However, a Global Times reporter attending the event saw many local government officials, business representatives, and NGOs from the US still participated in the event, setting up booths with slogans reading "We are still in."

Enlarging impact

The regressive actions on climate and the environment spread to more sectors and regions.

The US government's new policies also aimed at reducing environmental regulations restricting energy development. One executive order stipulated that the endangered species act could not be used to hinder energy projects. 

For decades, this law had posed regulatory challenges to the US fossil fuel industry. Environmentalists warned that weakening the law could accelerate the extinction of endangered species, including whales and sea turtles, the US News reported.

Additionally, the Trump administration announced the opening of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas development. This region has long been entangled in legal disputes and political struggles, according to the Associated Press.

According to France's Public Senat, the US' climate policy reversal could trigger a chain reaction, with countries such as Argentina, Venezuela, and Hungary potentially following suit and slowing their emission reduction efforts. 

The Center for American Progress, a think tank in the US, published an article stating that the US' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is "a grave mistake that disavows America's leadership on the most urgent global challenge of our time."

"The Paris Agreement represents a historic commitment by the world to confront the climate crisis together. Walking away from this shared responsibility does not reflect strength, it's a sign of weakness," read the article.

Some US NGO staffers and children gather in New York holding a creative, friendly activity ahead of Climate Week and the Global Summit of the Future, on September 21, 2024. Photo: VCG

Ma Jun, director of the Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times in a previous interview that it is worth noting that climate change is a common challenge for the world and the situation is now severe, not only in the US, but globally. 

"As the world's largest economy and second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, as well as the largest historical emitter, the US plays a crucial role in global climate efforts. Its exit [from the Paris Agreement] has major adverse effects on global climate governance, especially at a time when the global climate situation is already dire," Ma said.

Spotlight on emerging economies 

While the world is still grappling with the US' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, a larger spotlight is now trained on developing economies as the COP30 global climate summit is set to take place in Brazil in November 2025.

"It was already hard to get to $300 billion with the US in the negotiation," Andre Correa do Lago, the newly appointed president of COP30, told media in January, Reuters reported.

Correa do Lago highlighted the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, China, and other emerging economies, as a potential platform for Brazil to build a consensus among developing countries. This consensus would support their demands for greater financial contributions from wealthy nations, which have historically been the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, Reuters reported.

"China is providing infinitely more resources to the developing world by massively reducing the price of solar panels and the cost of electric vehicles," Correa do Lago said, pointing out that these investments are more meaningful to poorer countries than if China "were just contributing symbolic amounts."

China has committed to the dual carbon goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

Meanwhile, many emerging countries have begun to firmly implement their own emission reduction measures toward their goals. For instance, Brazil's second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) outlines the country's commitment to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by 59 percent to 67 percent by 2035, relative to 2005 levels. In absolute terms, this target translates to an equivalent reduction of 850 million to 1.05 billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2035.

The UAE hosted COP28 in December 2023, and also launched a $30-billion investment fund to mobilize capital and support addressing climate change and its impact.

In an article published by the World Economic Forum in January, it pointed out that "the green transition requires innovation, capital, and policy support - resources that China has in abundance," and "Chinese enterprises are leading the creation and implementation of low-carbon technologies worldwide."

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported in 2024 that China will lead the vigorous development of green energy over the next six years. It is forecasted that by 2030, China will host half of all newly installed renewable energy capacity worldwide. It is also projected that by 2030, about 60 percent of the world's renewable energy capacity will come from China. 

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said, "If I could sum this [trend] up in two words they would be: China, solar," the Guardian reported.

At the on-going IPCC event in Hangzhou, Chen Zhenlin, administrator of the China Meteorological Administration, said that as a developing country, China has been actively playing its role in promoting comprehensive green and low-carbon transformation and development, and in balancing high-quality development with high-level security. Significant progress and rapid development have been achieved in the development and utilization of renewable climate resources such as wind, solar, and hydropower, according to the Economic Daily.