A meeting of G7 nations on the environment begins this Thursday in Paris, but climate change has been left off the agenda to avoid a dispute with the United States, French Ecology Minister Monique Barbut said, citing efforts to preserve unity and focus on less contentious issues during the two-day talks.
First modification: 04/23/2026 - 08:26
A meeting of G7 nations on the environment begins in Paris this Thursday, but climate change has been omitted from the agenda to avoid a showdown with the United States.
The office of French Ecology Minister Monique Barbut said the two-day meeting would focus on "less contentious issues" in an effort to appease the G7's largest and most powerful member.
"We chose not to address the climate issue head-on... because the US positions on this issue are well known," the ministry stated.
"We wanted to prioritize the unity of the G7, particularly to protect this forum."
President Donald Trump's administration has withdrawn the United States from global climate change agreements and weakened environmental protections since returning to office in 2025.
France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom will send their environment ministers to the meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized countries.
Washington will be represented by Usha-Maria Turner, deputy administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of International and Tribal Affairs.
Barbut's office said attendees will discuss topics including ocean conservation, financing biodiversity and transforming dry areas into deserts.
Activists criticized the decision to leave climate off the agenda.
Gaia Febvre, from the activist group Climate Action Network, stated that "a G7 that moves at the pace of the United States cannot expect to respond to the crises of the century."
"By giving in to pressure, you weaken collective action and give up your potential leadership role," he said.
The meeting takes place just days before more than 50 countries gather in Colombia for the first global conference dedicated to the progressive elimination of fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change.
Forests and financing
France is spearheading an initiative to raise public and private funds for biodiversity protection and hopes to gain support from other G7 nations.
Barbut's ministry hopes to announce $800 million in funding for national parks in about 20 African countries, according to sources close to the matter.
Jean Burkard, advocacy director at WWF France, welcomed this inclusion in the G7 agenda, but said any funding "must be additional and not offset" cuts to other state budgets for nature.
The G7 meeting also hopes to reach a political declaration on desertification and security, while sessions on oceans will seek to strengthen an alliance on marine protected areas.
Other sessions are planned, including one on water pollution, while a visit to the Fontainebleau forest, south of Paris, is also scheduled for Thursday as part of a session dedicated to forests.
This article is an adaptation of its original in English
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