Ex Trump ambassador claims ‘brainwashed’ children are ‘taking their own lives’ over climate change

A former Trump administration official – who could serve as a future Donald Trump advisor – has claimed climate change is driving “brainwashed” children to kill themselves.

Carla Sands served as the U.S. ambassador to Denmark under Trump and is now the vice chair for the Center for Energy and Environment within the America First Policy Institute, a right-wing think tank closely associated with the former president.

In her role, Sands writes op-eds challenging the Biden administration’s policies on climate change but has also espoused conspiracy theories about climate change. With the presidential election and a potential Trump administration fast approaching, some of her previous comments have resurfaced.

“Kids are killing themselves to save the planet,” Sands said at an AFPI event last year. “Children are committing suicide because they don’t want to put out CO2. That’s how much they brainwashed and hurt our children,” she said.

There is no evidence children are dying by suicide to control the amount of CO2 they release through breathing.

One study suggests suicide rates increase after natural disasters due to the devastation and loss people face in the aftermath. Another study found that climate change could impact children’s brain development before birth. But neither support Sands’ claim. The Independent has asked Sands for comment.

Sands’ claim is one of many she’s made to deter people from supporting climate change legislation or the politicians that trumpet it.

At the same AFPI event, she suggested 15-minute cities were actually “geofencing people to 15 minutes from their home” and requiring them to get “special permission to leave”. She was referencing an urban planning concept that would allow people to reach necessary locations within 15 minutes via public transportation or walking.

On X, she promoted an article that falsely claimed scientists have found “no change in global warming rates since 1970” despite 2023 being the hottest year on record.

Sands is also a Project 2025 contributor. The 900-page document calls for the Environmental Protection Agency to embrace “so-called citizen science” and essentially gut the agency and roll back the restrictions in place.

While there has been no official indication Sands could serve as an advisor to Trump, her position at the AFPI undoubtedly makes her a leader in the realm of people close to the former president.

More recently, Sands has been encouraging voters – especially in Pennsylvania – to vote early for Trump. She’s reposted Elon Musk’s content and shared photos of herself on the campaign trail with Senator JD Vance.

At a rally in August, Sands opened for Trump. He later called her a “great ambassador”.

Famously, as an ambassador to Denmark in the Trump administration, Sands unexpectedly tweeted in support of Trump’s visit to Greenland after he pitched an idea to purchase it from Denmark. That trip was canceled hours after she tweeted.