Climate action has been a pillar of the Sustainable Development Goals since they launched in 2015, with the need for action generally uncontroversial and undisputed among most United Nations member states. That’s no longer the case.

On Day 1 of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, he ordered U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement — the international treaty, which aims to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels — with promises to disincentivize the use of renewable energy, increase production of fossil fuels, and shift away from environmental justice. Those working in the climate space are now wary of what this means for their continued efforts in protecting the environment while others see the attack on climate as a chance to galvanize.

“It is a worrying time because some countries are being ambivalent about how to deal with the climate problem when what you need is strong political will and action driven from all countries and all sectors to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement,” said Sandeep Sengupta, global policy lead on climate change at International Union for Conservation of Nature, who has been in the sector for over a decade.

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