Republican ‘RINOs’ Think About Joining Major Global Climate Event

Senator John Curtis to Lead UN Climate Delegation Amid Criticism

Senator John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, is reportedly set to co-lead a delegation at this year’s United Nations climate change conference in Brazil. Some critics have expressed concerns that this move is at odds with President Donald Trump’s energy policies.

Curtis and Democratic Senator Chris Coons from Delaware will head to COP30, according to E&E News. There are also indications that three other unnamed Republican senators may join them. The UN Climate Change Conference plans to host various youth-led forums and discuss the Paris Agreement, which President Trump had previously directed the U.S. to exit.

Steve Milloy, a senior fellow at the Energy and Environmental Law Institute, criticized Curtis’s involvement, suggesting that he—and others like him—are undermining Trump’s agenda by participating. He expressed that collaboration with countries like China and several European nations aims to undermine Trump’s efforts against climate change and the push for American energy dominance.

A spokesperson for Curtis indicated that while the senator’s travel plans are not finalized, he expressed satisfaction with their agenda, which he described as “really well-organized.”

The Trump administration has not revealed any delegation plans for the upcoming November conference. Recently, Trump labeled climate change policies as “the greatest fraud in the world,” while his administration is moving to reduce federal support for green energy initiatives like wind and solar power, in favor of traditional energy sources like coal.

Others, like Mark Molano, have echoed Milloy’s sentiments, suggesting that Curtis’s participation is a throwback to a pre-Trump Republican era, one that is out of touch with the current political climate. He claimed that the UN’s climate policies have facilitated the relocation of industries from the West to countries like China and India, while the U.S. continues to boast about its emissions reporting, despite China’s rapid industrial growth.

Curtis has historically been somewhat at odds with many fellow Republicans about climate policies, particularly regarding the Biden administration’s push to eliminate green energy tax credits—an initiative that Trump criticized heavily. Earlier, Curtis noted the importance of having “a Republican voice at the table” concerning COP30.

He specifically mentioned that nuclear power might be a resource Republicans should bring up during discussions at the conference.

Critics like Milloy, Morano, and James Taylor of the Heartland Institute have argued that Republican participation at COP30 undermines Trump’s policies and legitimizes the left’s climate agenda. Taylor remarked that any Republicans attending for reasons other than the mere observation are being hypocritical, pointing out the environmental impact of their travel, particularly in light of deforestation in areas like the Amazon to prepare for the conference.