Fresh from their party’s midterm election triumph, an emboldened group of Democratic lawmakers arrived at the COP31 climate talks in Turkey on Saturday, seeking to reassure delegates of their commitment to tackling global warming despite President Donald Trump’s absence from the negotiations.
The 18-member delegation joined the annual UN climate conference after Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress in a sweeping victory last week, welcomed by climate campaigners.
“Many of our allies and partners across the world think the United States has not been predictable or dependable. So we have a lot of trust to earn back,” Florida Representative Kathy Castor told AFP.
“We have so much work to do. And yes, I hope the United States gets back on track with urgent climate action,” she said after the delegation posed for photographs in front of a large COP31 sign at the sprawling conference centre.
The US election result has been a talking point at COP31 in Antalya, fuelling hopes that Democrats could restore some clean energy policies and pave the way for the election of a climate-friendly president in two years.
“What happened in the US is remarkable, and a much needed shift that we all needed, not only from a climate perspective, but overall,” Harjeet Singh, strategic advisor to the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, told AFP.
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has dismantled several clean energy policies introduced by his predecessors, championed oil drilling, withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement and kept the country away from UN climate negotiations.
“It is absolutely shameful that the Trump administration operates this way, that this is an administration that is filled with climate deniers, that is beholden to big oil in the United States,” Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari told AFP.
Global fossil fuel emissions are projected to decline slightly in 2026, driven by the rapid expansion of renewable energy and an oil price shock triggered by the war in Iran, researchers said Tuesday.
‘Climate action alive in America’
Ansari and other members of the delegation addressed a panel on the midterm elections, drawing a crowd that spilled out of the “America Is All In” pavilion.
Their message was that, despite Trump’s hostility towards clean energy, US states and local governments have continued to advance renewable energy and other climate-friendly policies.
A delegation of US mayors and governors visited COP31 earlier this week, alongside former vice president Al Gore and former climate envoy and secretary of state John Kerry.
“Despite the setbacks that we’re experiencing through this Trump administration, climate action is alive in America,” California Congressman Raul Ruiz told the panel.
Trump’s Republican Party suffered a resounding defeat last week, with voter anger over soaring energy prices and the costly war with Iran among the factors behind the setback.
Democrats have vowed to use their newly won majorities in the House and Senate to investigate the administration’s climate policies and push through clean energy legislation.
But Trump still has two years left in office and has pledged to use his veto power to block legislation he opposes.
“At a time where Americans from all political backgrounds want to see their energy bills reduced, this administration will be very hard pressed to veto legislation that will bring down costs for the American people,” Ansari said.
AFP
