US faces increasing challenges from the climate crisis under the Trump administration.
The ongoing challenges posed by climate change continue to inflict substantial consequences on both the environment and human health. Extreme weather events, persistent heatwaves, and severe droughts are just a few manifestations of this global crisis that are increasingly affecting populations worldwide. In response to these mounting challenges, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration is advocating for the relaxation of established environmental protections designed to curb climate pollution from cars, trucks, and power plants.
This proposed shift threatens to undermine the safeguards built into the Clean Air Act, a pivotal piece of legislation that has contributed significantly to improved air quality in the United States since its enactment in 1970. The Clean Air Act has been credited with preventing numerous premature deaths due to air pollution, with benefits substantially outweighing costs. The EPA has documented a benefit-to-cost ratio of 30 to 1, underscoring the significance of this regulatory framework in promoting public health.
One of the key provisions of the Clean Air Act allows the EPA to set limits on pollutants that could endanger public health or welfare based on evolving scientific evidence. In 1999, a petition prompted the EPA to consider regulating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles—a step that has faced considerable delay since. Despite significant scientific progress, including a 2001 report from the National Academy of Sciences affirming the reality of human-caused climate change, the Bush administration’s EPA dismissed calls for action on the basis of purported scientific uncertainty.
In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act, ultimately leading to established regulatory measures for emissions. Since that ruling, an extensive body of research has only strengthened the argument for controlling these pollutants, noting the accelerating impacts of climate change, including rising ocean temperatures, shifting wildlife habitats, and increasing sea levels.
In recent years, advancements in clean energy technologies such as wind and solar have resulted in more affordable and reliable energy sources compared to fossil fuels. The clean energy sector has emerged as the fastest-growing area of employment in the United States, engendering over 400,000 new jobs since 2022. Despite these advancements and the societal momentum towards sustainable energy solutions, the EPA’s recent proposals signify a retreat from robust national efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
Most notably, the EPA has suggested the repeal of its authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, rationalizing that the emissions do not pose a significant concern—even though they contribute to a substantial fraction of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the agency is moving to rescind the foundational finding that led to regulating greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, claiming that climate change falls outside the purview of the Clean Air Act.
As the federal government navigates this pivotal moment, it appears to disregard decades of scientific consensus and established legal obligations regarding public health and environmental stewardship. The trajectory set by these recent policy shifts may hinder the United States’ capacity to develop a prosperous and sustainable clean energy economy moving forward.
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