Overview
- The Rhode Island senator reached Belém to promote carbon pricing and urge countries to hold firm despite the Trump administration skipping the summit.
- E&E reported he is the only federal official on site after the White House declined to send an official delegation.
- In interviews, he accused the administration of doing political work for fossil fuel interests and said the United States is deliberately losing the clean‑tech race to China.
- He reiterated support for a global carbon tax and backed Europe’s carbon border mechanism as a lever to drive emissions cuts.
- Whitehouse’s team said he will meet government, business and civil society leaders during his visit, though he cannot take part in COP negotiations and said he had to secure his badge through a nonprofit after State Department resistance.