The United States skipped a major round of United Nations climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany this week, leaving other nations and U.S. civil society groups to navigate the talks without the world's largest fossil fuel producer at the table.
In short:
- The U.S. government chose not to send official delegates to the annual UN climate negotiations in Bonn, marking the first time in 30 years it has been absent from these talks.
- A coalition of American cities, states, nonprofits, and faith groups remains active in international climate discussions, aiming to maintain momentum in the absence of federal leadership.
- Some negotiators from the Global South see the U.S. absence as a potential opportunity to make progress without what they describe as the influence of a major "blocker and bully."
Key quote:
“What I’m hearing is folks from the Global South are upset, and rightfully so. And they’re also saying, ‘Hey, the biggest blocker and the biggest bully isn’t in the room. Let’s see what we can get done while they’re not here.’"
— Analyah Schlaeger dos Santos, co-chair of the international policy committee of the U.S. Climate Action Network
Why this matters:
The United States plays an outsized role in the global climate crisis, emitting roughly 11% of the world’s greenhouse gases and continuing to expand fossil fuel production. Its absence from this week’s UN climate talks deepens questions about the viability of global climate diplomacy at a time when coordinated international action is needed to meet emissions targets. While local governments and civil society groups are stepping in, the lack of federal involvement removes one of the most powerful actors from the negotiation table. For nations already facing climate disruption, especially in the Global South, U.S. disengagement represents not just a diplomatic gap, but a moral one, given its historic responsibility for warming the planet.
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