The 2025 CPAC showcased a strong conservative stance against climate change policies, with President Trump denouncing initiatives like the Paris Agreement and the Green New Deal. Key figures, including Liz Truss and Chris Wright, echoed similar themes of deregulation and energy independence. The conference highlighted a shift away from scientific discourse to a focus on fossil fuel advocacy and economic concerns.
In February 2025, President Donald Trump addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), emphasizing his administration’s stance against climate policies. With prominent supporters like Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance, Trump celebrated his withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and denounced the Green New Deal as a hoax. His rhetoric reflected a shift away from scientific discussions on climate change to a narrative of anti-regulation and fossil fuel advocacy.
Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss also spoke at CPAC, expressing her frustration over not being able to lift the fracking ban in the UK during her brief tenure. She criticized net-zero policies for leading to high energy costs and the closure of steel plants, arguing that such regulations harm the energy industry and the economy. Truss’s remarks mirrored Trump’s disdain for bureaucratic constraints.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright reinforced the conference’s message, advocating for the elimination of regulations to enhance energy production, particularly fossil fuels. He criticized the Biden Administration for supposedly imposing stringent regulations on gas appliances, labeling it a false narrative reminiscent of prior conservative media campaigns.
Governor Mike Dunleavy of Alaska showcased his ambitions, highlighting Trump’s support for energy projects in Alaska, including a liquefied natural gas pipeline aimed at Asian markets. Dunleavy’s aspirations reflect a broader strategy by the Trump administration to exploit American natural resources to address global energy demands.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum indicated his commitment to maximizing resource extraction from public lands, promoting the idea that this could help end trade deficits. He boasts that these initiatives could lay the groundwork for significant recognition, including a Nobel Prize for Trump.
The CPAC exhibit hall featured mostly conservative cultural groups, with only one climate-oriented organization, CFACT, present. CFACT representatives dismissed mainstream climate science, asserting the necessity for alternative views on college campuses. Their approach reflects a continuing effort to engage younger audiences in conservative environmental discourse, though ambiguities remain about their funding sources.
At the 2025 CPAC, President Trump and various conservative leaders presented a unified front against climate regulation, promoting deregulation and fossil fuel reliance as essential for energy independence. The narratives from speakers, including prominent international figures, emphasize a rejection of scientific consensus on climate change and stress the importance of economic recovery over environmental considerations. As this trend continues, the conference underscores a significant movement within conservative ideology to challenge contemporary environmental policies.
Original Source: www.desmog.com