The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced its intention to reverse the scientific opinion of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which was adopted in 2009. It recognized climate change as a threat created by people through their activities.
This was reported by CNN.
According to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, this is the largest deregulatory step in American history. He emphasized that the scientific conclusion is dogma, not science. The arguments in favor of repeal are based on a report by five researchers who are inspired by skepticism about mainstream climate science.
"It reads like a blog post – a somewhat disjointed collection of often refuted skeptical claims, studies taken out of context, or selective examples that do not reflect the broader scientific study of climate. That this is being released at the same time as the government is hiding the actual national climate assessments that accurately reflect the science only underscores how farcical this is," said American climate scientist and analyst Zeke Gausfather.
Why this is a bad thing
After the revocation of the scientific finding, regulation of environmental standards will essentially disappear, including limits on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. This will lead to a deterioration of environmental conditions and undermine the environmental protection system. The consequences for public health and safety will be significant.
What are the consequences
The United States ranks second in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, which generates risks of global warming. Scientists have proven that harmful emissions into the atmosphere not only damage health but can also lead to fatalities.
Many international and American scientific studies have demonstrated that burning fossil fuels causes significant warming. Even seemingly minor increases in temperature have devastating consequences for water resources, weather, and the food system.
“But instead, we have done nothing regarding the actual science of climate change or pragmatic ways to make progress. Climate change policy has narrowed your life opportunities and put your business at risk,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
The planet will suffer massive damage as the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement has already been exceeded since 2024. Experts predict that due to the high level of fossil fuel pollution, the world will reach 3°C of warming this century due to the negligence of the authorities.
"Both scientific certainty about climate change and evidence of the dangers it poses have increased since 2009. There is no evidence published in the last 16 years that in any way calls into question the scientific basis of the 2009 conclusion," said Zeke Gausfather.
Climatologist Phil Duffy says that climate change has long gone beyond pure science and has become part of everyday life.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the United States has withdrawn from the UN fund to compensate for climate change.
