Hosting a G7 focused on the environment on Thursday and Friday, France will have to deal with the United States of Donald Trump, whose administration is openly climate-skeptical.
For France, presiding over the G7 is an opportunity to push certain topics to the top of the international agenda. Climate diplomacy is one of them. But facing the United States of Donald Trump, the exercise promises to be tricky.
On the occasion of a “G7 Environment” event organized by France on Thursday and Friday in the Paris region, the Ministry of Ecological Transition does not hide this difficulty.
“We have chosen not to tackle the climate issue head-on (…) because the positions of the United States on this subject are well known,” emphasized the cabinet of the Minister of the Environment.
“We wanted to prioritize the unity of the G7, especially to protect this forum. So we chose to focus on less contentious subjects,” said the entourage of Monique Barbut.
Adapting to Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed climate skeptic
A form of “realpolitik” to adapt to the new situation imposed by the administration of Donald Trump. Since his return to the White House in January 2025, the American president, openly climate-skeptical, has completely disengaged the United States from climate diplomacy.
These setbacks astonish many chancelleries, including France, as well as scientists. Washington has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement for the second time. The country has also left the UNFCCC, the IPCC, and the IPBES (biodiversity).
To justify its actions, the White House has repeatedly cited its argument of defending “American interests” against institutions deemed “globalist” and “ineffective.”
/2026/04/21/69e7725a3da05683164302.jpg "The government is considering 6 billion euros in savings to compensate for the cost of the war in the Middle East")
