White House’s top adviser on energy and climate stood before a crowd of 200 people and burnished the image of coal

KATOWICE, Poland – Trump’s top adviser on energy and climate decided that it would be a great idea to burnish the image of coal – the fossil fuel that powered the entire industrial revolution. Now, it is a major culprit behind the climate crisis world leaders were meeting to address.

“We strongly believe that no country should have to sacrifice economic prosperity or energy security in pursuit of environmental sustainability,” said Wells Griffith, Trump’s adviser.

A few seconds after this remark, mocking laughter echoed from the back of the conference room. Moreover, a woman yelled “These false solutions are a joke!” unleashing a chain of dozens of people chanting of protest.

The protest was only a piece of theater, just as the United States’ embrace of coal and fuels at an event dedicated to saving the world from the catastrophic effects of climate change.

The standoff highlighted the odd position the American Delegation finds itself in as career bureaucrats are looking to advance the Trump administration’s agenda in an international arena aimed at cutting back on fossil fuels.

Paul Bledsoe, energy fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute and former Clinton White House climate advisor said: “There are two layers of U.S. action in Poland.”

He also added that the public support of fossil fuels is “primarily aimed at the president’s domestic political base, doubling down on his strategy of energizing them by thumbing his nose at international norms.”

As greenhouse gases don’t pay attention to national borders, a global front on climate action is crucial. The summit provides the sole venue for countries to coordinate their push to curb global warming.