Trump's Climate Change Rollback: A Step Back for America

The U. S. government has taken a significant step back in its efforts to address climate change. The Trump administration has reversed a longstanding scientific conclusion that greenhouse gas emissions pose a serious threat to public health and welfare. This decision, known as the repeal of the endangerment finding, is one of the biggest environmental rollbacks in U. S. history. The endangerment finding, established in 2009, was based on decades of scientific research. It concluded that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. The repeal of this finding is a clear rejection of science and a move that has been condemned by experts and scientists alike. The Environmental Protection Network, a bipartisan group of former EPA staff and appointees, described the move as “unprecedented and dangerous. ” Joseph Goffman, a former assistant administrator of the EPA Office of Air and Radiation, called it a “fundamental betrayal of EPA’s responsibility to protect human health. ”The decision to repeal the endangerment finding is not just a rejection of science. It is also a rejection of the efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to clean energy. The transportation sector is the single largest source of heat-trapping emissions in the United States. The repeal of the endangerment finding will lead to worse air quality and billions in healthcare costs tied to increased asthma attacks, heart disease, and other issues related to pollution. The decision has drawn formal opposition from more than 50 U. S. cities and nearly two dozen states, including California. Support for the plan came from industry groups and those geared toward free markets and regulatory reform. The U. S. Chamber of Commerce favored the repeal, saying greenhouse gas vehicle standards that rest on the endangerment finding are “enormously costly and ultimately unachievable” and amount to “regulatory overreach. ” The Trump administration's decision to repeal the endangerment finding is a clear indication that it is prioritizing the interests of the fossil fuel industry over the health and welfare of everyday Americans. It is a decision that will have serious consequences for the environment, public health, and the U. S. economy.