Introduction

The Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) has made a significant move that could have far-reaching implications for the fight against climate change. On Tuesday, the administrator of the E.P.A., Lee Zeldin, announced a proposal to revoke the scientific determination that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, pose a threat to human health and the environment. This determination, known as the "endangerment finding," has been the legal basis for the federal government's efforts to regulate and reduce greenhouse gas emissions since 2009. The proposed repeal of this finding has sparked widespread concern among environmentalists, scientists, and policymakers, who argue that it would undermine the country's ability to address the urgent threat of climate change.

The Endangerment Finding: A Crucial Tool in the Fight Against Climate Change

The endangerment finding was first made by the E.P.A. in 2009, during the Obama administration, in response to a Supreme Court ruling that the agency had the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. The finding was based on a comprehensive review of scientific research, which concluded that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, were significantly contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and associated impacts on human health and the environment. The finding has been the foundation for numerous regulations and policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including the Clean Power Plan, which set limits on emissions from power plants, and the fuel economy standards for vehicles.

The endangerment finding has been widely accepted by the scientific community, and its conclusions have been reaffirmed by numerous studies and reports since its issuance. The finding has also been upheld by the courts, including the Supreme Court, which has ruled that the E.P.A. has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Despite this, the Trump administration has long sought to revoke the finding, arguing that it is based on flawed science and that it has been used to justify overly burdensome regulations that harm the economy.

The Proposed Repeal: Implications for Climate Change Policy

The proposed repeal of the endangerment finding would have significant implications for the country's climate change policy. Without the finding, the E.P.A. would no longer have the legal basis to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and many of the regulations and policies that have been put in place to address climate change would be invalidated. This would include the Clean Power Plan, which was stayed by the Supreme Court in 2016, as well as the fuel economy standards for vehicles, which have been the subject of ongoing litigation.

The proposed repeal would also undermine the country's ability to meet its commitments under the Paris Agreement, an international accord aimed at limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The United States has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, but the proposed repeal of the endangerment finding would make it difficult, if not impossible, to achieve this goal.

According to a report by the Rhodium Group, a research firm that tracks energy and climate policy, the proposed repeal of the endangerment finding could lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions of up to 10% by 2025, compared to a scenario in which the finding is retained. This would not only undermine the country's climate change policy but also have significant economic and public health implications, as climate change is projected to have major impacts on agriculture, water resources, and human health.

The Scientific Consensus: Climate Change is Real and Human-Caused

Despite the proposed repeal of the endangerment finding, the scientific consensus on climate change remains clear: human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are significantly contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and associated impacts on human health and the environment. This conclusion is based on decades of research and is supported by overwhelming evidence from multiple lines of evidence, including temperature records, melting glaciers, and shifts in the distribution of plants and animals.

According to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the increase in global temperatures since the late 19th century is "extremely likely" (95-100% probability) to be caused by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. The report also concludes that the continued emission of greenhouse gases will lead to significant impacts on human health, including increased mortality and morbidity due to heat stress, air pollution, and the spread of disease.

The proposed repeal of the endangerment finding has been widely criticized by scientists and environmentalists, who argue that it is based on flawed science and ignores the overwhelming evidence of human-caused climate change. According to a statement by the American Meteorological Society, "the scientific evidence is clear: human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are significantly contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and associated impacts on human health and the environment."

Conclusion

The proposed repeal of the endangerment finding by the E.P.A. is a significant setback for the fight against climate change. The finding has been the foundation for numerous regulations and policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and its repeal would undermine the country's ability to address the urgent threat of climate change. The scientific consensus on climate change is clear: human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are significantly contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and associated impacts on human health and the environment.

As the country moves forward, it is essential that policymakers prioritize the development of effective and evidence-based climate change policies that are guided by the best available science. This includes retaining the endangerment finding and building on the progress that has been made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a clean energy economy. The future of the planet depends on it. According to a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the window for action to address climate change is rapidly closing, and the next decade will be critical in determining the course of the planet's future.

In the words of Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University, "the science is clear: climate change is real, it's human-caused, and it's happening now. The question is, what are we going to do about it?" The proposed repeal of the endangerment finding is a step in the wrong direction, and it is essential that policymakers and the public demand action to address the urgent threat of climate change. The future of the planet depends on it.