The G7 is ignoring the issue of climate change to avoid conflict with the US.
The G7 environmental meeting began in Paris on April 23, but climate change was removed from the agenda to avoid deep disagreements with the United States.
According to AFP on April 23, French Ecology Minister Monique Barbut said that the two-day G7 environmental conference would focus on "less controversial issues." The goal is to appease the group's largest and most powerful member.
"We chose not to address the climate issue directly because the US position on this topic is already very clear," the French Minister of Ecology shared. "We want to prioritize the unity of the G7, especially to protect this forum."
Since returning to power in 2025, President Donald Trump's administration has withdrawn the U.S. from global climate change agreements while loosening domestic environmental regulations.
France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom all sent environment ministers to the meeting of the Group of 7 industrialized economies. Meanwhile, Washington sent Usha-Maria Turner, Assistant Manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as its representative.
According to the French Ministry of Ecology, delegates to the G7 environmental summit will shift their discussions to topics such as ocean conservation, biodiversity financing, and combating desertification.
The decision to sideline climate issues has met with strong opposition from environmental activists. Gaia Febvre, a representative of the Climate Action Network, commented: "A G7 group that only moves at the pace of the United States cannot claim to be responding to the crisis of the century."
"Giving in to pressure undermines collective action and deprives the group of its potential leadership," Gaia Febvre told AFP.
Notably, this event took place just days before more than 50 countries met in Colombia. This was the first global conference dedicated to discussing the phasing out of fossil fuels – the core cause of climate change.
France is currently leading an initiative to mobilize public and private funding to protect biodiversity. The country hopes to gain support from other G7 nations. According to sources close to AFP, the French Ministry of Ecology plans to announce $800 million in funding for national parks in around 20 African countries.
In addition, the G7 Environment Summit is also expected to achieve a political declaration on security and desertification. Sessions on oceans will aim to strengthen alliances to protect marine protected areas.
