(Update: Obama’s reaction added)
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the administration of President Donald Trump is withdrawing its scientific assessment of the dangers of greenhouse gases. “We are officially lifting the so-called endangerment finding,” Trump said at the White House. It is the “largest deregulation measure in American history.”
According to 2020 EPA data, the United States is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China. India and the European Union follow in third and fourth place. Greenhouse gases are considered the main driver of man-made climate change.
The “Endangerment Finding” is about a scientific finding by the Environmental Protection Agency from the time in office of Trump’s Democratic predecessor Barack Obamawhich states that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. EPA head Lee Zeldin had already announced last summer that the risk finding would be withdrawn. He now criticized that the “Endangerment Finding” had “regulated and targeted the American dream.”
The EPA originally classified six greenhouse gases as air pollution and a threat to human health in 2009 based on numerous scientific studies. This was the basis for the environmental authority being allowed to regulate the gases according to a central air pollution control law. The Clean Air Act gives the EPA the authority to impose limits on air pollutants and set quality standards. Endangerment finding was therefore central to many climate protection measures in the USA.
Obama speaks out with criticism
Former President Obama criticized the fact that the United States, under Trump’s leadership, revoked the threat determination. “Without them, we will be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change – all so that the fossil fuel industry can make even more money,” he wrote on Platform X.
Importance of greenhouse gases for climate change
Since the late 19th century, greenhouse gases have led to a significant increase in average global temperatures, according to research. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this affects all regions of the world – for example through more frequent and severe extreme weather events such as floods, heat waves or droughts.
In order to counteract this, emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases would have to fall quickly and significantly. In addition, large quantities of gases that have already been emitted would have to be removed from the atmosphere.
However, since Trump took office, the US government has been rigorously cutting funding for climate protection and research – for example on the subject of global warming. In January, the United States officially withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2015, around 200 countries agreed to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial times – and if possible to just 1.5 degrees. This is intended to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.
Trump is also relaxing other climate-friendly requirements
Back in December, Trump announced easing of the requirements for how much fuel cars and light commercial vehicles in the United States would be allowed to use in the future. The previous guidelines stipulated that in the fleet average for the 2031 model year, one gallon of fuel must be sufficient for around 50 miles. This corresponds to around 4.7 liters per 100 kilometers. Instead, a value of just 34.5 miles per gallon should now be targeted – i.e. around 6.8 liters per 100 kilometers.
Ex-President Joe Biden’s stricter regulations were intended to provide consumers with financial relief through lower fuel consumption and at the same time better protect the environment. Meanwhile, car manufacturers had to spend more money to meet the new standards./fsp/DP/he