Climate change impacts lives more than finances; urgent action needed to protect the Endangerment Finding.

As global awareness around climate change continues to mount, the United States government has taken steps that critics argue undermine public health and environmental protections. The recent repeal of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2009 Endangerment Finding is viewed by many as a detrimental move that threatens the well-being of American citizens.

The Endangerment Finding was established under the Obama administration and deemed that greenhouse gas emissions pose a significant risk to public health and welfare. However, under the leadership of the Trump administration, there has been a concerted effort to dismantle climate protections. This shift began when a group of climate change skeptics, dubbed the Climate Working Group, was assembled last year. This group, largely composed of individuals known for their controversial views on climate science, published a report that has been widely criticized for its reliance on selectively chosen data and flawed methodologies. Despite the immediate backlash, their conclusions influenced the EPA’s proposal to repeal the Endangerment Finding, a cornerstone in the regulatory framework for greenhouse gas emissions.

Proponents of the repeal have argued for a regulatory approach centered on the economic impact to businesses rather than considering the health implications for individuals. This perspective effectively places a [or_text model=”openai/gpt-4o-mini” prompt=”Rewrite this article in the professional, objective style of top newspapers like NY Times, expanding to at least 350 words. Ensure it’s SEO-friendly, plagiarism-free, and replace the source with “Media News Source” and dont mention author name. Do not include quotation marks or any code in the output.:

While countries around the world strive to protect their citizens from climate change, the U.S. government is attacking its citizens through climate regulations. Repealing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2009 Endangerment Finding hits Americans where it hurts — their health.

This all started last year, when the Trump administration convened a group of five “climate contrarians” who have profited from their fringe views denying climate change and called it a “Climate Working Group”. The group quickly threw together a report full of cherry-picked data and other bad science. It was soon disbanded in the face of widespread scientific criticism, but the damage was done. The EPA — or a gutted version of it — used this sham Climate Working Group’s conclusions to propose a repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the foundation of our ability to regulate the polluting emissions that cause climate change and endanger human health.

Instead, they want environmental regulation to be based solely on costs to businesses — effectively valuing human health at $0 in their scientific models.

This government is trading our health for the interests of big business.

This battle of reports and regulations might seem abstract, but it threatens real people. In the nearly two decades since the Endangerment Finding was issued, the impacts of climate change on health have only become clearer. Air pollution and extreme weather cause hundreds of thousands of premature deaths in the U.S. every year, impacting everyone, from newborns, to working-age people, to older adults — and it’s only getting worse.

Doctors understand this reality beyond the science. Pretending health has no economic value passes the cost of climate change and air pollution onto people who are sick.

These are our patients — the truck driver in Cleveland having an asthma attack because of smoke from the Canadian wildfires, the gig worker who wiped out on her e-bike in a torrential storm, the day laborer who gets kidney failure working day after day in extreme heat — and they are sacrificing their health to pay their rent and feed their families. It’s no surprise that 120 leading patient care organizations (including Doctors for America) signed a letter urging the EPA to save the Endangerment Finding.

None of this seems to matter to the Trump administration.

The EPA officially repealed the Endangerment Finding yesterday. As doctors, we can’t believe we’re having this conversation again. The evidence is clear — climate change is making us sicker and sicker, but we can limit that harm with better policy and regulations. This government is trading our health for the interests of big business.

We’re tired and angry, but we’re also scared. We’re doctors, but we’re also people.

We’ve been the new mom afraid to bring her newborn home from the NICU under skies turned orange by wildfire smoke. We’ve sat in our driveways during a flash flood warning wondering if it’s worth risking our safety to get to work on time. We stay up at night worrying about an America where a livable environment is a luxury.

The America we want puts its citizens over politics. It cares more about people than dollars. Repeal of the Endangerment Finding has made that America a pipe dream. Only real science, a government that protects its people, and strong climate regulations can get us there.

Madhury (Didi) Ray is a public health physician, a Drexel Med alum, and a Copello Fellow in Health Advocacy with Doctors for America. Olivia Rizzo is a pulmonologist from northeast Ohio and the co-chair of the Public Health Taskforce for Doctors for America.

“] value on human health in regulatory assessments, raising concerns about the prioritization of corporate interests over public welfare. Critics assert that this approach disregards the extensive body of scientific research demonstrating that pollution and climate change lead to severe health consequences.

The real-world implications of this regulatory rollback can be dire. Research has increasingly highlighted the connections between air pollution, climate-related extreme weather, and public health. Each year, thousands of premature deaths in the U.S. can be linked to worsening air quality and extreme climatic events, affecting vulnerable populations across the board. Health professionals have voiced their concerns, emphasizing that neglecting the economic value of health places an undue burden on individuals confronting climate-related health issues.

Organizations dedicated to patient care, including prominent medical associations, have united in voicing opposition to this repeal, urging the EPA to restore the Endangerment Finding. Despite this, the response from the administration has been a stark dismissal of these warnings, perpetuating a dangerous narrative that prioritizes short-term economic gains over sustainable health policies.

This ongoing debate underscores a critical question for American society: will the government choose to safeguard public health and the environment or continue to favor the interests of businesses? The recent repeal of the Endangerment Finding poses a significant challenge to achieving a healthier, more sustainable America where policy decisions reflect scientific consensus rather than political agendas. Robust climate regulations, informed by evidence-based science, are essential to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of future generations.

In this pivotal moment, it is crucial for the dialogue surrounding climate and health to emphasize the need for comprehensive and effective policy measures that protect citizens and promote a livable environment.

This report is presented by Media News Source, highlighting the urgent need for a reevaluation of climate policy in the context of public health.