President Donald Trump tore into environmental "prophets of doom" at the Davos forum Tuesday, rejecting fiery warnings from teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg and talking up his own record in a counterpoint to impeachment back home.

Thunberg was in the audience in the Swiss Alps to hear the typically bullish speech by Trump, delivered just before the US Senate opened the crucial next stage in his trial for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/thunberg-changes-required-are-nowhere-in-sight-267938">Thunberg: changes required are nowhere in sight</a>

The 50th meeting of the World Economic Forum aimed for a strong focus on climate change but Trump made clear he had no time for Thunberg's warning that "our house is still on fire."

Watch | Donald Trump delivers keynote address at WEF 2020

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Instead, he touted the US economy, which he said was enjoying an "unprecedented" boom thanks to his policies. That was a message he then continued at a dinner meeting with CEOs including Europe's richest person Bernard Arnault of luxury firm LVMH and the Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.

The Republican was also to meet Wednesday with the president of Iraq and the leader of Iraqi Kurdistan before heading back to Washington.&nbsp;

This will be his first talks with the Iraqi leadership since a US drone strike killed Iran's top military figure and also a senior Iraqi commander in Baghdad, triggering a parliament vote calling for the expulsion of US troops from Iraq.

Dismissing the 'apocalypse'

Dismissing scientifically backed warnings that global warming is wrecking the planet, Trump said "we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse."

He claimed that "alarmists" had been wrong over the decades when predicting population crisis, mass starvation or the end of oil.

Trump branded those warning of out-of-control global warming and other environmental disasters "the heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers".

Trump did not even mention global warming.

He was just as unapologetic over his impeachment, which is now kicking into high gear.

That's "just a hoax," he said, calling the impeachment trial "disgraceful".

Trump campaigns

Large parts of Trump's address sounded like a campaign speech aimed at a domestic audience as much as the Davos gathering of global political and business elites, which began in 1971.

"I'm glad to declare the United States is in the midst of a great economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen before," he said.

Over and over, Trump brought up statistics he claimed proved his "unprecedented" success, based on slashing environmental protections and renegotiating trade relationships with China and the United States' two huge neighbours Canada and Mexico.

"The American dream is back, bigger, better, stronger than ever before," he said.

Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank, called Trump's performance "an almost plain vanilla presidential campaign speech, laying out an unassailable set of statistics that tell the Democrats 'good luck taking me on on this, because you won't stand a chance'."

'Just the very beginning'

Earlier, Thunberg underlined the message that has inspired millions around the world, saying "basically nothing has been done" to fight climate change.

Speaking calmly and with a wry smile, Thunberg acknowledged that her campaign, which began with school strikes, had attracted huge attention without yet achieving concrete change.

"There is a difference between being heard to actually leading to something," the 17-year-old said.

And despite the focus given by the Davos forum, Greenpeace said in a new report that some of the world's biggest banks, insurers and pension funds have collectively invested $1.4 trillion (1.26 trillion euros) in fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2016.

Trump touted the United States as the "number one producer of oil and natural gas" and said he would not let "radical socialists" attack the lucrative industry.

'Governments continue to fail'

Sustainability is the buzzword at the Davos forum, with heel crampons handed out to participants to encourage them to walk on the icy streets rather than use cars, and the signage paint made from seaweed.

"People are paying a lot more attention" to climate, Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer told AFP at Davos, adding there was "genuine action by some big players", after investment titan BlackRock said it was partially divesting out of coal.

"But let's be clear -- a big part of this is because we failed for a very long time and governments continue to fail," he added.

Business leaders are likely also to be concerned by the state of the global economy whose prospects, according to the International Monetary Fund, have improved but remain brittle.

The IMF cut its global growth estimate for 2020 to 3.3 percent, saying that a recent truce in the trade war between China and the US had brought some stability but that risks remained.

Activists meanwhile will be pressing for much more concrete action to fight inequality, after Oxfam issued a report outlining how the number of billionaires has doubled in the past decade and the world's 22 richest men now have more wealth than all the women in Africa.

President Donald Trump tore into environmental "prophets of doom" at the Davos forum Tuesday, rejecting fiery warnings from teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg and talking up his own record in a counterpoint to impeachment back home.

President Donald Trump tore into environmental "prophets of doom" at the Davos forum Tuesday, rejecting fiery warnings from teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg and talking up his own record in a counterpoint to impeachment back home. Thunberg was in the audience in the Swiss Alps to hear the typically bullish speech by Trump, delivered just before the US Senate opened the crucial next stage in his trial for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Also Read: Thunberg: changes required are nowhere in sight The 50th meeting of the World Economic Forum aimed for a strong focus on climate change but Trump made clear he had no time for Thunberg's warning that "our house is still on fire." Watch | Donald Trump delivers keynote address at WEF 2020 × Instead, he touted the US economy, which he said was enjoying an "unprecedented" boom thanks to his policies. That was a message he then continued at a dinner meeting with CEOs including Europe's richest person Bernard Arnault of luxury firm LVMH and the Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. The Republican was also to meet Wednesday with the president of Iraq and the leader of Iraqi Kurdistan before heading back to Washington. This will be his first talks with the Iraqi leadership since a US drone strike killed Iran's top military figure and also a senior Iraqi commander in Baghdad, triggering a parliament vote calling for the expulsion of US troops from Iraq. Dismissing the 'apocalypse' Dismissing scientifically backed warnings that global warming is wrecking the planet, Trump said "we must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse." He claimed that "alarmists" had been wrong over the decades when predicting population crisis, mass starvation or the end of oil. Trump branded those warning of out-of-control global warming and other environmental disasters "the heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers". Trump did not even mention global warming. He was just as unapologetic over his impeachment, which is now kicking into high gear. That's "just a hoax," he said, calling the impeachment trial "disgraceful". Trump campaigns Large parts of Trump's address sounded like a campaign speech aimed at a domestic audience as much as the Davos gathering of global political and business elites, which began in 1971. "I'm glad to declare the United States is in the midst of a great economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen before," he said. Over and over, Trump brought up statistics he claimed proved his "unprecedented" success, based on slashing environmental protections and renegotiating trade relationships with China and the United States' two huge neighbours Canada and Mexico. "The American dream is back, bigger, better, stronger than ever before," he said. Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank, called Trump's performance "an almost plain vanilla presidential campaign speech, laying out an unassailable set of statistics that tell the Democrats 'good luck taking me on on this, because you won't stand a chance'." 'Just the very beginning' Earlier, Thunberg underlined the message that has inspired millions around the world, saying "basically nothing has been done" to fight climate change. Speaking calmly and with a wry smile, Thunberg acknowledged that her campaign, which began with school strikes, had attracted huge attention without yet achieving concrete change. "There is a difference between being heard to actually leading to something," the 17-year-old said. And despite the focus given by the Davos forum, Greenpeace said in a new report that some of the world's biggest banks, insurers and pension funds have collectively invested $1.4 trillion (1.26 trillion euros) in fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2016. Trump touted the United States as the "number one producer of oil and natural gas" and said he would not let "radical socialists" attack the lucrative industry. 'Governments continue to fail' Sustainability is the buzzword at the Davos forum, with heel crampons handed out to participants to encourage them to walk on the icy streets rather than use cars, and the signage paint made from seaweed. "People are paying a lot more attention" to climate, Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer told AFP at Davos, adding there was "genuine action by some big players", after investment titan BlackRock said it was partially divesting out of coal. "But let's be clear -- a big part of this is because we failed for a very long time and governments continue to fail," he added. Business leaders are likely also to be concerned by the state of the global economy whose prospects, according to the International Monetary Fund, have improved but remain brittle. The IMF cut its global growth estimate for 2020 to 3.3 percent, saying that a recent truce in the trade war between China and the US had brought some stability but that risks remained. Activists meanwhile will be pressing for much more concrete action to fight inequality, after Oxfam issued a report outlining how the number of billionaires has doubled in the past decade and the world's 22 richest men now have more wealth than all the women in Africa.

Trump tears into environmental 'doom' mongers at Davos forum

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday assailed environmental "prophets of doom", delivering an uncompromising message in Davos after Swedish teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg slammed government inaction on the climate crisis.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-power-of-youth-greta-thunberg-named-time-magazines-person-of-the-year-267728">Thunberg </a>was in the audience in the Swiss Alps to hear a typically bullish speech by Trump, delivered just before the start of his Senate impeachment trial in Washington. The 50th meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) got underway in the ski resort with an avowed focus on climate change but with starkly different visions over global warming laid bare.

"We must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse," said Trump, growling that "they want to see us do badly". 
He claimed that "<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/greta-thunberg-joined-by-thousands-of-swiss-activist-in-climate-march-275084">alarmists</a>" had been wrong on previous occasions by predicting population crisis, mass starvation and the end of oil.

Trump-branded those warnings of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ahead-of-davos-summit-greta-thunberg-calls-for-real-climate-action-274917">out-of-control global warming</a> and other environmental disasters "the heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers". 
Trump told reporters later that his Davos trip was devoted to meeting "the most important people in the world and we're bringing back tremendous business".

Before Trump's appearance,&nbsp;Thunberg underlined the message that has inspired millions around the world, saying "basically nothing has been done" to fight climate change. "It will require much more than this. This is just the very beginning," the 17-year-old said. Speaking calmly and with a wry smile, Thunberg acknowledged that her campaign which began with school strikes had attracted huge attention without yet achieving concrete change. "There is a difference between being heard to actually leading to something," she said.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/thunberg-changes-required-are-nowhere-in-sight-267938">Thunberg: changes required are nowhere in sight</a>

While the WEF and individual business leaders have been detailing their concerns about climate change, Greenpeace complained in a new report that some of the world's biggest banks, insurers, and pension funds have collectively invested $1.4 trillion in fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2016.

Trump in his speech reeled off a list of achievements for the American economy and touted the United States as the "number one producer of oil and natural gas".

There&nbsp;are no expectations that Trump and Thunberg, who have exchanged barbs through Twitter, would meet, but the crowded venue and intense schedule mean a chance encounter cannot be ruled out. When Trump and his entourage walked through UN headquarters last year at the annual General Assembly, a photo of the teenager staring in apparent fury at the president from the sidelines went viral.

Although Trump's Republican party holds a majority in the Senate and is almost sure to acquit him on charges of abusing his power and obstructing Congress, the impeachment adds volatility to an already tense 2020 presidential election. "We will never let radical socialists destroy our economy," said Trump, apparently referring to his Democratic party opponents ahead of the presidential election in November.

'Governments continue to fail'

Sustainability is the buzzword at the Davos forum, which began in 1971, with heel crampons handed out to participants to encourage them to walk on the icy streets rather than used cars, and the signage paint made out of seaweed. Trump's opposition to renewable energy, his withdrawal from the Paris accord negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama, and the freehand extended to the fossil fuel industry put him at odds with the thrust of this year's event.

"People are paying a lot more attention" to climate, Eurasia Group president Ian Bremner said at Davos, adding there was "genuine action by some big players" after investment titan BlackRock said it was partially divesting out of coal. "But let's be clear -- a big part of this is because we failed for a very long time and governments continue to fail," he added.

Business leaders are likely also to be concerned by the state of the global economy whose prospects, according to the International Monetary Fund, have improved but remain brittle. The IMF cut its global growth estimate for 2020 to 3.3 per cent, saying that a recent truce in the trade war between China and the US had brought some stability but that risks remained.

Activists meanwhile will be pressing for much more concrete action to fight inequality, after Oxfam issued a report outlining how the number of billionaires has doubled in the past decade and the world's 22 richest men now have more wealth than all the women in Africa.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday assailed environmental "prophets of doom", delivering an uncompromising message in Davos after Swedish teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg slammed government inaction on the climate crisis.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday assailed environmental "prophets of doom", delivering an uncompromising message in Davos after Swedish teenage campaigner Greta Thunberg slammed government inaction on the climate crisis. Thunberg was in the audience in the Swiss Alps to hear a typically bullish speech by Trump, delivered just before the start of his Senate impeachment trial in Washington. The 50th meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) got underway in the ski resort with an avowed focus on climate change but with starkly different visions over global warming laid bare. "We must reject the perennial prophets of doom and their predictions of the apocalypse," said Trump, growling that "they want to see us do badly". He claimed that "alarmists" had been wrong on previous occasions by predicting population crisis, mass starvation and the end of oil. Trump-branded those warnings of out-of-control global warming and other environmental disasters "the heirs of yesterday's foolish fortune tellers". Trump told reporters later that his Davos trip was devoted to meeting "the most important people in the world and we're bringing back tremendous business". Before Trump's appearance, Thunberg underlined the message that has inspired millions around the world, saying "basically nothing has been done" to fight climate change. "It will require much more than this. This is just the very beginning," the 17-year-old said. Speaking calmly and with a wry smile, Thunberg acknowledged that her campaign which began with school strikes had attracted huge attention without yet achieving concrete change. "There is a difference between being heard to actually leading to something," she said. Also Read: Thunberg: changes required are nowhere in sight While the WEF and individual business leaders have been detailing their concerns about climate change, Greenpeace complained in a new report that some of the world's biggest banks, insurers, and pension funds have collectively invested $1.4 trillion in fossil fuel companies since the Paris climate deal in 2016. Trump in his speech reeled off a list of achievements for the American economy and touted the United States as the "number one producer of oil and natural gas". There are no expectations that Trump and Thunberg, who have exchanged barbs through Twitter, would meet, but the crowded venue and intense schedule mean a chance encounter cannot be ruled out. When Trump and his entourage walked through UN headquarters last year at the annual General Assembly, a photo of the teenager staring in apparent fury at the president from the sidelines went viral. Although Trump's Republican party holds a majority in the Senate and is almost sure to acquit him on charges of abusing his power and obstructing Congress, the impeachment adds volatility to an already tense 2020 presidential election. "We will never let radical socialists destroy our economy," said Trump, apparently referring to his Democratic party opponents ahead of the presidential election in November. 'Governments continue to fail' Sustainability is the buzzword at the Davos forum, which began in 1971, with heel crampons handed out to participants to encourage them to walk on the icy streets rather than used cars, and the signage paint made out of seaweed. Trump's opposition to renewable energy, his withdrawal from the Paris accord negotiated under his predecessor Barack Obama, and the freehand extended to the fossil fuel industry put him at odds with the thrust of this year's event. "People are paying a lot more attention" to climate, Eurasia Group president Ian Bremner said at Davos, adding there was "genuine action by some big players" after investment titan BlackRock said it was partially divesting out of coal. "But let's be clear -- a big part of this is because we failed for a very long time and governments continue to fail," he added. Business leaders are likely also to be concerned by the state of the global economy whose prospects, according to the International Monetary Fund, have improved but remain brittle. The IMF cut its global growth estimate for 2020 to 3.3 per cent, saying that a recent truce in the trade war between China and the US had brought some stability but that risks remained. Activists meanwhile will be pressing for much more concrete action to fight inequality, after Oxfam issued a report outlining how the number of billionaires has doubled in the past decade and the world's 22 richest men now have more wealth than all the women in Africa.

Trump rejects climate 'prophets of doom' as Thunberg warns Davos

President Donald Trump said Saturday he would decide next week whether the United States would abide by the 2015 Paris agreement on cutting global carbon emissions.

His announcement came as a summit of G7 leaders in Sicily wrapped up in deadlock on the issue, with US partners voicing frustration at the president&#39;s failure to commit to the deal aimed at stemming global warming.

&quot;I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week!&quot; Trump tweeted.

The US leader, concluding his first overseas trip in office, later left for home without giving the customary close-of-summit news conference.

The meeting&#39;s final declaration reflected a stalemate between the US and the six other participating countries, who are all strongly committed to the Paris accord.

&quot;The United States of America is in the process of reviewing its policies on climate change and on the Paris Agreement and thus is not in a position to join the consensus on these topics,&quot; it stated.

&quot;Understanding this process, the (other participants) reaffirm their strong commitment to swiftly implement the Paris Agreement...&nbsp;

&quot;In this context, we all agree on the importance of supporting developing countries.&quot;

German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised what she called &quot;a very difficult, not to say very unsatisfactory&quot; discussion with Trump on the issue.

&quot;Here we have a situation of six against one, meaning there is still no sign of whether the US will remain in the Paris accord or not,&quot; she said.

French President Emmanuel Macron struck a more positive note, saying the talks had been useful. &quot;I think there was progress and there was a real discussion and exchange of views,&quot; he said, voicing hope that Trump would decide to keep his country within the Paris framework.

Other delegates concurred that it was &quot;six against one&quot; at the gathering of leading democracies spanning North America, Europe and Japan.

Under Trump, who once called climate change a &quot;hoax&quot; perpetrated by China and wants to boost the US coal industry, Washington has resisted intense pressure from its partners to commit to respecting the global 2015 accord on curbing carbon emissions.

But Gary Cohn, Trump&#39;s economic advisor, on Friday said the president had told his G7 colleagues that he regarded the environment as important.

&quot;His views are evolving, he came here to learn,&quot; Cohn said. &quot;His basis for decision ultimately will be what&#39;s best for the United States.&quot;

The United States is the world&#39;s biggest carbon emitter after China.

Trump had said he would listen to what US partners have to say at the G7 before making a decision on how to proceed.

&#39;Make the right decision&#39;&nbsp;

Abandoning the Paris agreement would carry a high political cost internationally, with Europe, Canada, China and Japan all strongly committed to the deal.

It would also be fiercely opposed at home by environmental activists and by American corporations that are investing heavily in cleaner technology.

French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot, in an interview to be published on Sunday in Le Parisien newspaper, said he found it unlikely &quot;Trump would want to put his country in such an impasse.&quot;

&quot;If Donald Trump decides to pull his country out of the Paris climate agreement, it would provoke a strong reaction from many American states, cities and economic players who are committed to developing renewable energy,&quot; Hulot said. &quot;(...) It would be going tragically against the grain of history.&quot;

Greenpeace regretted the outcome but held out hope that Trump might change tack.

&quot;Europe, Canada and Japan stood up today and made a stand, revealing again how far Trump is out of step with the rest of the world on climate change,&quot; Jennifer Morgan, Greenpeace&#39;s international executive director, said in Sicily.

(AFP)

Trump tweeted minutes after the G7 summit ended in a deadlock, as other member nations urged the US president to take steps to stem global warming

President Donald Trump said Saturday he would decide next week whether the United States would abide by the 2015 Paris agreement on cutting global carbon emissions. His announcement came as a summit of G7 leaders in Sicily wrapped up in deadlock on the issue, with US partners voicing frustration at the president's failure to commit to the deal aimed at stemming global warming. "I will make my final decision on the Paris Accord next week!" Trump tweeted. The US leader, concluding his first overseas trip in office, later left for home without giving the customary close-of-summit news conference. The meeting's final declaration reflected a stalemate between the US and the six other participating countries, who are all strongly committed to the Paris accord. "The United States of America is in the process of reviewing its policies on climate change and on the Paris Agreement and thus is not in a position to join the consensus on these topics," it stated. "Understanding this process, the (other participants) reaffirm their strong commitment to swiftly implement the Paris Agreement... "In this context, we all agree on the importance of supporting developing countries." German Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised what she called "a very difficult, not to say very unsatisfactory" discussion with Trump on the issue. "Here we have a situation of six against one, meaning there is still no sign of whether the US will remain in the Paris accord or not," she said. French President Emmanuel Macron struck a more positive note, saying the talks had been useful. "I think there was progress and there was a real discussion and exchange of views," he said, voicing hope that Trump would decide to keep his country within the Paris framework. Other delegates concurred that it was "six against one" at the gathering of leading democracies spanning North America, Europe and Japan. Under Trump, who once called climate change a "hoax" perpetrated by China and wants to boost the US coal industry, Washington has resisted intense pressure from its partners to commit to respecting the global 2015 accord on curbing carbon emissions. But Gary Cohn, Trump's economic advisor, on Friday said the president had told his G7 colleagues that he regarded the environment as important. "His views are evolving, he came here to learn," Cohn said. "His basis for decision ultimately will be what's best for the United States." The United States is the world's biggest carbon emitter after China. Trump had said he would listen to what US partners have to say at the G7 before making a decision on how to proceed. 'Make the right decision' Abandoning the Paris agreement would carry a high political cost internationally, with Europe, Canada, China and Japan all strongly committed to the deal. It would also be fiercely opposed at home by environmental activists and by American corporations that are investing heavily in cleaner technology. French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot, in an interview to be published on Sunday in Le Parisien newspaper, said he found it unlikely "Trump would want to put his country in such an impasse." "If Donald Trump decides to pull his country out of the Paris climate agreement, it would provoke a strong reaction from many American states, cities and economic players who are committed to developing renewable energy," Hulot said. "(...) It would be going tragically against the grain of history." Greenpeace regretted the outcome but held out hope that Trump might change tack. "Europe, Canada and Japan stood up today and made a stand, revealing again how far Trump is out of step with the rest of the world on climate change," Jennifer Morgan, Greenpeace's international executive director, said in Sicily. (AFP)

Isolated Trump to take Paris climate decision next week

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Trump tears into environmental 'doom' mongers at Davos forum

Trump rejects climate 'prophets of doom' as Thunberg warns Davos

Isolated Trump to take Paris climate decision next week