Brace for ‘setbacks’ in combating climate change, warn experts as US takes over G20 presidency in 2026

The Donald Trump administration of US will assume the presidency of Group of 20 (G20) bloc in 2026, and experts are concerned about its repercussions for key issues of global importance, including climate change and sustainability.

Trump, who championed the slogan of ‘drill, baby, drill’, risks derailing the progress made during previous presidencies of developing nations like Indonesia, India, Brazil and now South Africa.

For instance, sustainable development and climate action were one of the key priorities during G20 presidency of Brazil in 2024. Not just that, the Brazilian government, along with the United Nations, also launched a joint initiative to combat climate mis and disinformation.

When asked about challenges that the US presidency could bring for the progress on climate front, Keiti da Rocha Gomes, Director at Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (IPEA), Brazil, warned that the world should expect ‘setbacks’ in the coming year.

More from World

After Covid, is the world well prepared for another pandemic? US, Israel looking to relocate Gazans to Syria to implement Trump’s Gaza plan: Report

While speaking at Firstpost’s IdeasPod as part of the annual Raisina Dialogue organised by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Keiti warned that the US administration won’t prioritise the issues put on the table by past presidencies.

“I think that you probably are going to see reduction in emphasis on the importance of agenda like climate change, sustainability, and also inequalities,” she said.

But she hoped that this approach adopted by the US won’t stay for long, and countries would come together eventually to find solutions to these global problems.

Quick Reads

View All

Will Brazil go back to Bolsonaro? Lula finds new challenger in jailed ex-president's son Flavio

‘Not competing for influence on Greenland’: China warns Europe over ‘diktats of a bully’

Meanwhile, Victoria Panova, Scientific Supervisor of the BRICS Expert Council and Managing Director of the National Committee of BRICS Research, Russia, hailed the previous G20 presidencies for helping the bloc brave the most difficult of times, including the pandemic in 2020 under Saudi Arabia, and then the Russia-Ukraine war and the crisis in Gaza.

Taking an optimistic line, Victoria hoped the US would take into account concerns of the developing world because it realises that no global problem can’t be solved without their contribution and participation.

She recalled how, despite differences, top economies of the world came together after the 2008 financial crisis to provide for a platform to discuss and resolve all problems. At that point, the developed economies realised that nations “that matter”, like India, China, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, need to be taken on board to find solutions.

“United States were the first to host it (G20), we’re coming back to the initiator once again,” she said.