Will Trump’s Climate Denial Impact Outcome of Huge UN Ocean Conference Next Week?

From severe coral bleaching to rising sea levels, climate change is drastically impacting the health of our oceans. However, these facts seem to evade the President of the United States.

The Trump administration’s notorious skepticism of global warming is affecting plans for the upcoming United Nations ocean conference, according to Sweden’s deputy prime minister, Isabella Lovin.

“I think I can safely say that the United States has not been very keen on strong language on climate change,” Lovin told Reuters.

“We are not prepared to leave that (strong language) out. That’s really fundamental,” she added about the draft documents. “The impacts of climate change are almost immeasurable.”

Leaders from 200 countries will meet at the conference in New York next week to devise ways to reverse the decline in oceanic health. The United Nations has identified global warming, overfishing and pollution as major threats to our oceans. Lovin as well as Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama will co-host the weeklong event.

“The decline of the oceans is really a threat to the entire planet … We need to start working together,” Lovin said.

Additionally, Lovin described how engaging with Washington about the ocean conference has been difficult, partly because key positions at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have not yet been filled.

America has taken a drastic fall as an international climate leader ever since last year’s election. Trump, who believes that global warming is a hoax and has been dismantling regulations that protect the environment since taking office in January, will announce next week if the U.S. will withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement.

Will U.S. Join Syria and Nicaragua as Only Countries Not Participating in Paris Agreement? https://t.co/n42tpHVLaB @SierraClub @climatehawk1

— EcoWatch (@EcoWatch) May 30, 2017

Lovin, who is also Sweden’s climate minister, has taken a dig at Trump and his climate denial before. In February, she posted a photograph on Twitter of her signing a bill that requires Sweden to phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, one of the most ambitious plans by any developed country.

The photo featured an all-female staff—a stark contrast to a photo of Trump signing an executive order restricting access to abortion while surround by men.

“You can interpret it as you want,” Lovin’s spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “It’s more that Sweden is a feminist government and this is a very important law that we just decided on … And to make the Paris agreement happen we need climate leadership.”