Stop Trump Officials from Bullying the World on Climate

When nations gathered to finalize a landmark plan to cut pollution from global shipping — one of the planet’s biggest and fastest-growing sources of climate emissions — Trump administration officials used threats and intimidation to block it.

According to the Financial Times, American negotiators personally threatened diplomats from small islands and developing nations with visa bans, trade penalties, and loss of access to U.S. ports if they voted for the deal. In some cases, officials reportedly warned individuals that their careers could suffer if they continued to support the global emissions plan. These tactics were so extreme that several delegates compared the U.S. approach to authoritarian diplomacy  — an unprecedented assault on the international process to tackle climate change.

Let’s be clear: this is not diplomacy. No U.S. administration, Republican or Democrat, has stooped to this level of personal coercion in global climate talks. Past presidents — from Obama to George W. Bush — might have disagreed on climate policy, but they never threatened individuals or bullied smaller nations into silence as this administration has. The Trump team’s behavior not only derailed a critical vote but shattered trust among the very countries most in need of global cooperation.

Shipping is responsible for nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions — more than all of Germany — and the International Maritime Organization’s “Net Zero by 2050” plan was our best shot at charting a cleaner, fairer course for the future. Blocking it only protects oil companies and shipping giants while abandoning climate-vulnerable nations to rising seas, stronger storms, and economic devastation.

We can’t let this stand. The administration must condemn and reverse these outrageous tactics, recommit to fair global cooperation, and support the international community’s adoption of strong shipping climate rules.

The world needs American leadership — not American bullying.

Add your name to demand the U.S. restore integrity and justice in global climate negotiations — and stand with the nations fighting for their survival.