Boric Makes Strong Case at COP30, Refutes Trump: «Claiming There is No Climate Crisis is False»

Original article: Boric golpea la mesa en COP30 y desmiente a Trump: «decir que no hay crisis climática es mentira»

In Belém do Pará, the Brazilian Amazon, amidst heat and humidity, a message delivered without euphemisms marked the opening of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP30). Chilean President Gabriel Boric refuted Donald Trump emphatically stating, «Claiming there is no climate crisis is false». His intervention aimed to restore the role of evidence amid an era marked by noise and relativism.

Boric’s remarks were not merely rhetorical. He linked his criticism to a fundamental principle: science as the backbone of climate policy. «It was science that recommended a multilateral forum like this COP, and it is science that guides us on the paths we need to take. It is essential to state this today, even if it seems obvious, because we live in times when voices choose to ignore or deny scientific evidence regarding the climate crisis.»

Furthermore, he heightened the rhetoric: «It is crucial to state this today, even if it seems obvious, because we live in times when voices choose to ignore or deny the scientific evidence regarding the climate crisis. Just recently, the President of the United States stated at the last UN General Assembly that the climate crisis does not exist, and that is false.»

NOW | President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric Font, participates in the opening of the General Plenary Meeting of the Leaders’ Summit #COP30. https://t.co/EeMHymMmaW

— Presidency of Chile (@Presidencia_cl) November 6, 2025

The Dispute Over Facts (And Who Defines Them)

In a time when multilateral forums are under scrutiny, Boric counters Trump at COP30 to reinstill a fundamental premise: scientific consensus is not an aesthetic choice but the baseline for any negotiation. «We must be able to reaffirm the value of science and facts, as we can have legitimate discussions on how to address them, but we cannot deny them, and this requires leadership from the international community.»

The message may seek more than just a headline: anchoring commitments to measurable and verifiable metrics. Hence, La Moneda emphasized, also on social media, forests, oceans, and energy transition as key points for the Chilean delegation in the Amazon, alongside Michelle Bachelet, Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren, and Minister Maisa Rojas.

President @LulaOficial welcomes us to the Leaders’ Summit of COP30, where we will promote mechanisms to confront the greatest challenge of our generation: the climate crisis.

Forests, oceans, and energy transition will be the focus of our work in these hours in Belém… pic.twitter.com/nAQaqo8qkx

— Gabriel Boric Font (@GabrielBoric) November 6, 2025

Chile’s Priorities: Forests, Oceans, and Energy Transition

Alongside the controversy with Trump, the President aimed to shift the conversation towards the “how,” not just the “what.” Restoration and management of forests as carbon sinks; protection of oceans for biodiversity and CO₂ capture; and energy transition to expedite the phase-out of fossil fuels: three fronts that Chile is pushing in Belém, focusing on implementation, funding, and regional cooperation.

Politics with a Human Face

Boric infused a personal tone into his address. «What is at stake is perhaps the greatest challenge for our generation: sustaining life on the planet», he said, connecting that urgency to his recent experiences as a father of a four-month-old. «When I see her in those four innocent months, I wonder what kind of world we will leave for this new generation». This scene seeks to bring flesh to a debate that often remains confined to emissions spreadsheets.

Politically, Boric counters Trump at COP30 to decouple the climate discussion from ideological trenches: evidence is neither left nor right; it is either acknowledged or denied. This framing aims to align the conversation with a minimum standard: that COP serves as a space for facts rather than post-truth.