Under US President Donald Trump, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a plan that would remove a 2009 decision that says climate change is dangerous. If the plan goes through, it will make it extremely hard for the US government to limit pollution that causes global warming.
The EPA is the US government agency responsible for protecting the environment. In 2007, the US Supreme Court ruled that the EPA had the right to make rules about dangerous greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. The EPA had this power because of the Clean Air Act, a law passed by Congress.
In 2009, the EPA made a decision called the “endangerment finding”, which said that pollution leading to global warming was dangerous. The EPA’s decision was based on detailed reports from climate scientists from around the world.
(Source: US EPA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Climate Crisis
Since people first began burning coal to run factories, the world’s temperature has gone up by about 1.2 degrees Celsius (C) (2.16º Fahrenheit (F)). This increase has led to serious long-term changes in weather patterns that affect all life on Earth.
The world is getting hotter, mainly because humans are burning “fossil fuels” like coal, oil, and natural gas to make energy. These fuels give off pollution called “greenhouse gases” or “carbon emissions”, which make the climate emergency worse.
The effects of climate change can already be seen: melting ice in Antarctica and the Arctic, higher temperatures, heat waves, droughts, wildfires, record rains, and more strong hurricanes.
Scientists say the world must take strong action before 2030, and limit global warming to 1.5ºC (2.7°F) to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis.
The 2009 finding was an important step. It let the US government create rules to limit the pollution that causes global warming. The rules were meant to help protect people and the environment from the dangers of climate change. These rules called for cars, trucks, and power plants that polluted less.
(Source: US EPA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Now, the EPA is trying to change that decision. EPA leader Lee Zeldin, who was appointed by Mr. Trump, says the EPA doesn’t have the power to make rules about climate change pollution.
If the EPA is successful in getting rid of the 2009 finding, it would also get rid of the EPA rules that limit greenhouse gas pollution from cars, trucks, factories, and more.
As part of its argument for ending the 2009 decision, the EPA says that having fewer pollution rules will be better for businesses. Some businesses, especially those that depend heavily on oil and gas, agree. These companies say the EPA’s rules make it too hard for them to do business.
(Source: EPA.)
The EPA is also now claiming that global warming isn’t as harmful as people once thought. To support that idea, the EPA pointed to a new report from the Department of Energy (DOE) which suggests that the climate crisis isn’t so dangerous.
In the past, government reports on climate change have been written by hundreds of scientists and have taken years to complete. But in April, Mr. Trump’s government dismissed roughly 400 climate scientists working on the latest report.
Instead, the DOE’s report was written in less than two months by five scientists known for questioning climate science.
(Source: Screenshot, US DOE.)
Many climate scientists disagree with the DOE’s report, which they say is based on ideas that have already been challenged by other scientists.
For now, the EPA’s plan to remove the endangerment finding is just a suggestion. It will be discussed and debated before the government makes a final decision. And it will probably wind up in court.
But if the rule is removed, it will be much harder for the US government to create rules that help fight climate change. The US is the second-biggest polluter in the world. That means the result won’t only affect the US. It’s likely to have a big impact on global efforts to tackle climate change, too.