TEMA: Generation Jesus
Trump wants to repeal the Endangerment Finding: what it means for the climate and humanity
Trump is preparing to roll back a policy widely regarded in the United States as a cornerstone in the effort to combat climate change. He plans to overturn the Endangerment Finding, a landmark decision issued in 2009 under President Barack Obama. That ruling determined that six specific greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and the environment and has served as the foundation for numerous federal regulations aimed at reducing emissions and addressing climate-related risks.
The Endangerment Finding is a legal determination by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, endanger public health and welfare. According to Kacey Fitzpatrick of the EPA, “This finding underpins the federal government’s ability to regulate emissions that contribute to climate change. It’s the scientific and legal basis for rules that protect Americans from harmful pollutants.”
Repealing the Endangerment Finding would remove the legal foundation for many federal climate regulations. Environmental groups warn this could have far-reaching consequences. Bram Karst of Greenpeace explained, “If this policy is undone, it could open the door to increased greenhouse gas emissions, reversing progress made over the past decade. That would affect not only the United States but the global effort to limit temperature rise and protect ecosystems.”
The move is widely seen as a major victory for the oil and gas industry, which has long opposed rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s decision “can be seen as a major win for energy companies, which argue that federal regulations have hurt their ability to operate competitively.”
Experts caution that repealing the Endangerment Finding could make it harder for the U.S. to meet its climate commitments under international agreements. Increased emissions would worsen air pollution, accelerate climate-related disasters, and affect public health. As Karst emphasized, “Decisions like this don’t just impact policy—they affect real people, from farmers facing droughts to communities experiencing more extreme storms.”
Trump’s plan highlights the ongoing tension between economic interests and environmental protection. The repeal of the Endangerment Finding would mark a significant shift in U.S. climate policy, with consequences felt both at home and around the world.
The EPA Endangerment Finding and it's repeal
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Supreme court defines greenhouse gases as pollutants
- The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases qualify as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
- The Court orders the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether these gases endanger public health and welfare.
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EPA Establishes the Endangerment Finding
- The EPA issues the Endangerment Finding, concluding that six greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) pose a threat to public health.
- This provides the legal foundation for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, power plants, and industry.
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Climate regulations built on the Endangerment Finding
- EPA regulations based on the endangerment finding lead to improvements in vehicle efficiency and reductions in power-sector emissions.
- Fine particulate air pollution declines significantly across the United States.
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Early legal challenges fail in federal courts
- Legal challenges to the endangerment finding are filed by CHECC and the FAIR Energy Foundation.
- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit dismisses the challenges as legally deficient.
- The Supreme Court later declines to hear the case.
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Renewed conservative efforts to overturn the Finding
- A major study finds that air pollution from oil and gas operations causes more than 91,000 premature deaths annually in the U.S., disproportionately affecting communities of color.
- Conservative think tank Heritage Foundation publishes Project 2025, calling for revisiting or overturning the endangerment finding.
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Executive order to reconsider the Endangerment Finding
- Donald Trump signs an executive order directing the EPA to review the legality and applicability of the endangerment finding.
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Trump Administration Repeals the Endangerment Finding
- The Trump Administration officially repeals the Endangerment Finding, calling it the “single largest deregulatory action in American history.”
- The repeal removes the legal basis for federal limits on greenhouse gas pollution from vehicles, power plants, and industrial sources.
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Legal and political battles ahead (and experts warn of public health and climate consequences)
- Environmental and public health experts from institutions such as Stanford University, Cornell University, and George Washington University warn that the decision contradicts strong scientific evidence and threatens public health.
- Environmental groups prepare legal challenges, arguing the repeal is political rather than science-based.
Source: Time Magazine
