The global environmental movement set itself on a collision course with populists from Australia to France and the U.S. over an agenda of ever-tightening curbs on pollution.
Fresh from endorsing rules to implement the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, diplomats, along with pressure groups and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, are shifting toward persuading governments to back deeper cuts in fossil fuel emissions.
The effort, which will culminate at a U.N. leaders' summit in September, is aimed at reining in greenhouse gases. While scientists say that is necessary to stave off more of the kind of violent weather that caused a record $140 billion in damage in 2018, a growing backlash to those restrictions is emerging worldwide. It's taken the form of "yellow jacket" protests in France, the Australian government being ousted, and U.S. President Donald Trump's support for coal mining. Green groups are digging in for a fight, backed by like-minded businesses and nations.