Colombian president condemns Trump's climate stance at COP30

BOGOTA, Colombia

Colombian President Gustavo Petro used his platform at the COP30 inauguration in Brazil on Thursday to deliver a sharp critique of US President Donald Trump, making Trump's denial of climate change the focus of his address.

Petro called out Trump for his absence from the summit and skepticism about global warming.

"Mr. Trump is against humanity by not coming here. What do we do? Leave him alone. Oblivion is the worst punishment. When he wants to talk, we'll talk, but about life," he said.

Petro rejected Trump's fossil fuel advocacy, specifically his former administration's push to deregulate energy production.

"It's not drill, drill, drill; he is 100% wrong."

Petro asserted that Trump's approach is one of the "fetishes" that distract the world "from the simple goal of life."

The Colombian leader denounced the global community's climate situation as a "failure," attributing rising global temperatures to the powerful oil "lobby."

He also took issue with Trump's ultimatum that NATO countries must significantly increase military spending to 5% of GDP, and he rejected imposing greater sanctions on Russia.

Petro countered Trump's focus on geopolitical adversaries with a clear shift in priorities.

"It's not a defense and security problem. It's not Russia and the enemy, it's climate change," he said.

He also rejected Trump-aligned policies that focus on military operations and hardline immigration, condemning threats of invasion across the continent, including against Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia as well as characterizing certain migrant policies as "extrajudicial executions and immigration policies made by the Nazis."

In an appeal to European leaders, Petro argued that their alignment with increased defense spending at the expense of climate action puts their families at risk, reinforcing his critique of Trump's priorities.

"It is your grandchildren, ladies and gentlemen, presidents and prime ministers of Europe, who are at risk, as are all the sons and daughters of the enormous and great civilizing people of Europe and of all humanity," he said

Petro summarized the world's predicament as a "collective failure of humanity," lamenting that after nearly three decades of summits, "the greed of the oil, coal, and gas lobbies has gone against life."