Donald Trump, who many thought had recanted his previous denial of the facts of climate change, in fact appears committed to his belief that humans are not causing global warming.

Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed that climate change is a hoax, perpetrated by the Chinese. He made little reference to environmental initiatives in his policy statements and appeared committed to a belief that global warming isn’t real.

But he appeared to make a U-turn in a widely reported interview with the New York Times. In that interview he suggested that there is “some connectivity” between humans and climate change, in a remark that was taken to suggest that he might be changing his mind.

Trump's EPA pick condemns Obama's conservation policy

He also met with prominent environmentalists including Al Gore, which was also taken as a suggestion that he was softening his denial of human-caused climate change.

And he suggested that he would not withdraw from the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, criticism of which had been central to his Presidential campaign. “I’m looking at it very closely,” he said, saying that he has “an open mind to it”.

But President-elect Donald Trump’s first appointments suggest that he is still interested in denying climate change and appears to be working to destroy the agencies the US has in place to deal with it.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke – filled with the carbon that is driving climate change – drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. “Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals,” says the photographer. “Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow.” Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a “public health emergency”. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

Mr Trump’s pick for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is Scott Pruitt, a lawyer who in the past has attempted to destroy that very agency and has argued that people should talk more about whether humans have anything to do with climate change and whether it is even happening at all.

In an opinion article published earlier this year by National Review, Pruitt suggested that the debate over global warming "is far from settled" and claimed "scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming and its connection to the actions of mankind."

According to NASA, 97 percent of the world's climate scientists agree that the planet is getting hotter and that burning fossil fuels is the primary cause. Ten of the warmest years in history have occurred in the past 12, with 2016 on pace to be the hottest recorded. Studies show the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass, while the world's oceans have risen on average nearly 7 inches in the last century.

Ken Cook, the head of the Environmental Working Group, a Washington DC research and advocacy organisation, told the New York Times that it is a “safe assumption that Pruitt could be the most hostile E.P.A. administrator toward clean air and safe drinking water in history”.

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Bernie Sanders also criticised the appointment. “Mr. Pruitt's record is not only that of being a climate change denier, but also someone who has worked closely with the fossil fuel industry to make this country more dependent, not less, on fossil fuels,” he said.

But the Trump team has said that Mr Pruitt has a “good record”.

"We're very accustomed to the naysayers and the critics," Conway said as she left Trump tower on Wednesday evening, apparently confirming the choice. "Attorney General Pruitt has great qualifications and a good record. ... We look forward to the confirmation hearings."

Mining and oil companies have hailed the appointment.

"Scott Pruitt is a businessman and public servant and understands the impact regulation and legislation have in the business world," said Jeffrey McDougall, an oilman who serves as chairman of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association. "His appointment will put rational and reasonable regulation at the forefront."