U.S. President Donald Trump took another step back from achieving climate goals. On Feb. 12, he announced the rescission of the endangerment finding, the scientific conclusion that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
This repeal will eliminate the regulation of some greenhouse gas emissions, allowing industries to release them without regulation. As a result, climate change will accelerate further, even as it is already causing tremendous damage.
About the endangerment finding
The endangerment finding, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2009, considers carbon dioxide, methane, and four other greenhouse gases harmful to public health and welfare.
This finding legally obligated the EPA to regulate the emission of these gases under the Clean Air Act, following the court’s decision to classify them as air pollutants. Overturning the finding will make it significantly more difficult to limit emissions from vehicles, industry, and power plants.
In the announcement, the president called the endangerment finding “a disastrous Obama-era policy” that “severely damaged the American auto industry.” The White House stated that ending these regulations could save $1.3 trillion in regulatory costs and reduce car prices by approximately $2,400 per vehicle.
Former U.S. President Obama responded to this action by stating, “Without it [the endangerment finding], we’ll be less safe, less healthy, and less able to fight climate change — all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money.”
Impacts on Human Health and Climate Change
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions shifted downward after 2009, when the endangerment finding was published, but the president’s decision may nullify the efforts that organizations and industries have put into reducing emissions.
Research from the Environmental Defense Fund estimates that repealing the finding could produce 7.5 billion to 18 billion metric tons of climate pollution — 1.4 to 3.4 times the total amount of climate pollution the U.S. produces annually — by 2055.
The group also estimates that the added pollution could result in between 15,400 and 58,000 premature deaths, 9 million to 37 million asthma attacks, and $1.5 trillion to $4.2 trillion in climate harm by 2055.
Climate Change and Global Effects
Despite scientific consensus, President Trump refers to climate change as a “hoax.” However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledged that human activities are undoubtedly the primary cause of global warming.
And the Earth’s average surface temperature has already risen by about 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit since the pre-industrial era, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
This decision by the president will not only carry economic and public health costs in the U.S. but also severely affect other countries. The U.S. already accounts for over 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The additional emissions caused by this rescission will further raise global temperatures, increasing the risk of climate-related disasters such as floods, droughts, and typhoons worldwide.
