At the 2025 CPAC, conservative leaders, including Trump, attacked climate policies and reinforced climate denial. Major themes included deregulation of fossil fuels and rejection of the Green New Deal. Trump, along with speakers like Liz Truss and Chris Wright, emphasized energy independence while dismissing scientific debates on climate change, marking a shift towards more extreme positions on climate issues.
In February 2025, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) convened outside Washington, D.C., where prominent figures in conservatism rallied in support of former President Trump and his climate policy denouncement. Central themes included a call to dismantle existing climate protections, spearheaded by influential speakers such as Elon Musk, Vice President JD Vance, and former aide Steve Bannon, rallying the audience around their anti-climate agenda.
During the event, Trump reaffirmed his stance against the Paris Agreement and criticized the Green New Deal as a significant misallocation of funds. “I terminated the Green New Scam,” he declared, accusing it of harming the economy without offering substantial policy details. His remarks indicated a broader trend at CPAC, where the discourse lacked scientific backing and focused heavily on rejecting climate discussions altogether.
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss articulated similar sentiments, lamenting the reversal of her fracking ban by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. She criticized net-zero policies for damaging the British energy sector, asserting, “We have net-zero policies that have decimated our oil and gas industry.” Truss echoed Trump’s critiques of governmental bureaucracy, calling for a restoration bill to dismantle various legislative frameworks perceived as burdensome.
The conference witnessed themes of deregulation and energy dominance, as U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright highlighted plans to lift restrictions on fossil fuel usage. He, along with Trump, emphasized the urgent need to increase energy production to remain competitive, particularly in AI technology. Additionally, the pipeline development plan proposed by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy aimed at exporting liquefied natural gas to Asian markets, a move that drew attention for prioritizing international over domestic energy needs.
Burgum, Secretary of the Interior, announced his commitment to exploiting public lands for energy production, suggesting this approach could strengthen national security and the economy. He proclaimed that these initiatives would position Trump favorably for a Nobel Prize. The formation of the National Energy Dominance Council, under Burgum’s leadership, seeks to streamline energy production processes while managing regulatory burdens.
Among the CPAC hall’s exhibitors, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), a conservative think tank, was the only group engaging with climate topics. CFACT representatives expressed skepticism regarding the consensus on climate change science. They highlighted their mission to provide alternative viewpoints to what they perceive as left-wing dominance in educational environments, intending to influence younger generations with their perspectives.
The 2025 CPAC underscored a continued alignment among conservative leaders around climate denial and anti-regulatory stances. With Trump reaffirming his policies rejecting any climate agreements and emphasis on energy independence, the discourse reflected a significant shift towards outright rejection of scientific consensus on climate issues, underpinned by a broader political agenda favoring economic interests in fossil fuels. The absence of scientific dialogue and focus on deregulation marked a pivotal moment in the evolving narrative surrounding climate policy within conservative circles.
Original Source: whowhatwhy.org
