The New York Times’s Climate Forward event became a stage for significant debate this Wednesday, as California Governor Gavin Newsom launched a powerful critique against President Trump’s recent climate change remarks. Newsom condemned Trump’s labeling of climate change as a “con job” and green energy as a “scam” during a Tuesday speech at the United Nations, calling it “an abomination,” “an embarrassment,” and “a fraud.” He emphasized that California, a state frequently hit by climate-fueled disasters, directly experiences the reality of a warming planet.
Following Newsom, Energy Secretary Chris Wright further fueled controversy by stating his desire for more nations to follow the Trump administration’s lead in withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. He dismissed widely accepted “attribution science”—which quantifies climate change’s influence on extreme weather—as “people reaching for something.” These statements highlight a stark reversal from the previous administration’s climate leadership, with the U.S. now actively promoting fossil fuels and downplaying environmental threats. This shift occurs amidst record global temperatures, climate-fueled disasters, and rising energy demands, partly driven by artificial intelligence, while China leads in clean energy technologies.
Several other speakers at the conference offered diverse perspectives:
- Attribution Science Under Scrutiny: Chris Wright’s skepticism about attribution science was met with strong scientific opposition. Eighty-five scientists and leading organizations like the American Meteorological Society and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, presented extensive critiques, detailing inaccuracies in the Energy Department’s report and asserting that evidence of greenhouse gases threatening human health continues to grow.
- Fusion Energy’s Promise: Despite fusion energy’s long-standing reputation as a distant dream, Bob Mumgaard, CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, announced a pilot reactor launch next year near Boston. His company aims to demonstrate net-positive electricity generation by 2027, highlighting a “drastic acceleration” in fusion science, attracting over $3 billion in investment from figures like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.
- Global Retreat from Paris Agreement: Wright openly encouraged other nations to abandon the Paris Agreement, describing it as a “club” that ignores its people’s interests. He also defended the administration’s restrictions on wind and solar power, despite public support and their rapid growth, and pledged to prevent coal plant closures, even though over $35 billion in annual tax incentives benefit fossil fuel industries.
- U.S. Wind Industry’s Long-Term Outlook: Scott Strazik, CEO of GE Vernova, acknowledged a current slump in the U.S. wind industry under the Trump administration’s aggressive opposition. However, he expressed optimism for its long-term potential, citing abundant natural resources and industry efforts to improve turbine quality and manufacturing automation. GE Vernova is also advancing nuclear reactor development and benefiting from increased natural gas demand due to AI data centers.
- Newsom’s Call to Action and Corporate Complicity: Governor Newsom didn’t spare corporate leaders, specifically calling out GM CEO Mary Barra and others in the auto industry for yielding to the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle tailpipe emission limits and block California’s electric vehicle initiatives. He portrayed California as a crucial defense against these rollbacks, emphasizing the state’s green energy job growth and its program for reducing transportation emissions. Newsom also criticized the Department of Energy’s $13 billion cut from renewable projects, labeling it a “betrayal” that benefits China.
- Reconnecting with Nature: The 20-5-3 Rule: Actor and environmentalist Rainn Wilson introduced the “20-5-3 rule” as a simple method for fostering a deeper connection with nature: 20 minutes outdoors three times a week, five hours monthly in a natural setting, and three days annually off-grid. Wilson shared personal experiences with California and Oregon wildfires, underscoring the urgent need to value nature as “profounfly sacred.”
- Marshall Islands’ Plea for Climate Justice: President Hilda Heine of the Marshall Islands voiced profound disappointment in Trump’s dismissal of climate science as a “hoax.” She emphasized that climate change poses the gravest security threat to Pacific nations, whose populations are declining due to rising sea levels. Heine passionately argued for climate finance as “compensation for what is due,” not charity, to help vulnerable island nations adapt to existential threats.
- Australian Magnate’s Challenge to Trump: Andrew Forrest, executive chairman of Fortescue, challenged President Trump’s climate change denial, inviting him to witness firsthand the devastation in Australia, from millions of acres of land to once-vibrant coral reefs now “covered in moss.” Forrest criticized the administration’s “one-horse bet” on fossil fuels and revealed that the repeal of renewable energy tax credits contributed to Fortescue’s decision to cancel a $210 million electric vehicle battery factory in Michigan.
- Climate Change as a National Security Threat: Jake Sullivan, former National Security Advisor under President Biden, warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of climate policies poses a severe national security risk. He highlighted that halting analyses of global warming’s impact on food shortages, migration, and conflict blinds the U.S. to critical threats. Sullivan also cautioned against surrendering leadership in clean energy technologies, crucial for the “artificial intelligence revolution,” to China.
- Tech Giants’ Climate Goals Amidst AI Growth: Executives from Microsoft and Google reaffirmed their commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030, even as their carbon footprints have grown due to massive investments in artificial intelligence and data centers. They discussed strategies like carbon removal, nuclear energy investments, and more efficient data centers. Despite these efforts, both acknowledged the potential need to rely on natural gas or coal for new data centers, with offsets.