After months of telegraphing the move, the Trump administration today formally rescinded the EPA’s 2009 Endangered Endangerment finding that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane pose a threat to human health and well-being.
The findings thus far supported the agency’s greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act. Currently, the new rule applies only to car and truck emissions, but it is expected to be the first of similar changes to federal air pollution regulations.
However, completely revoking endangered status requires a lengthy process by the EPA. It took two years for the initial findings to become established.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin’s actions will slow emissions declines by about 10%, according to Axios. This is a significant amount, but not enough to reverse the trend, in part because cheap renewable energy has dominated new generation capacity in recent years.
“This action will only lead to more pollution, which will lead to increased costs and real harm to American families,” Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp told TechCrunch in a statement.
As climate change continues, mortality rates are expected to rise by about 2% in the United States, and global GDP could fall by 17%, or about $38 trillion, by 2050.
