With the world at COP30, Trump administration rolls back environmental rules

As the UN Climate Change Conference was happening in Brazil, the Trump administration released proposals to open up offshore drilling and roll back protections for wetlands and endangered animals.

As representatives from nearly 200 nations were wrapping up talks at the United Nations’ COP30 climate summit this week, the United States was not only absent, but the Trump administration also introduced a series of sweeping proposals to roll back environmental protections and encourage fossil fuel drilling.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference ended Friday in the Brazilian city of Belém, where delegates gathered to hammer out a road map to phase out fossil fuels, boost climate action and limit global warming.

For the first time in the summit’s history, the U.S. — one of the top emitters of greenhouse gases — did not send a delegation. Instead, the Trump administration this week announced a plan to open up new oil drilling off the coasts of California and Florida for the first time in decades and proposed rule changes to weaken the Endangered Species Act and limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to protect wetlands and streams.

“These rules double down on the administration’s refusal to confront the climate crisis in a serious way and, in fact, move us in the opposite direction,” said Jessie Ritter, associate vice president of waters and coasts for the National Wildlife Federation, a conservation group.

Indigenous people take part in a demonstration during the COP30 conference on Nov. 17.Pablo Porciuncula / AFP / Getty ImagesThe White House told NBC News on Friday that this week’s “historic” announcements aim to “further President Trump’s American energy dominance agenda.”