The US will be a major influence at the global COP30 climate summit in Brazil in November, whether it attends or not.

Comments made by materials scientist Chris DeArmitt that plastics are not toxic and their impact on ecosystems has been overstated became the centre of debate at the ReThink sustainability conference. An NGO appealed to DeArmitt's audience to carefully review the science.

Disinformation on solar and wind energy, fueled by Trump, has stalled projects in the West. In Asia, the world's most fossil fuels-dependent region, renewables misinformation has helped to slow the energy transition.