Trump Administration's Climate Change Efforts Complicated by National Academies Report

Strategic Insights -

The Trump administration's efforts to relax pollution rules have been complicated by a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, detailing the strongest evidence to date that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases are threatening human health. The report contradicts the administration's legal arguments for relaxing pollution rules, which are based on a 2009 finding that planet-warming greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. The new report concludes that this finding was accurate and has stood the test of time, with even stronger evidence now showing that rising greenhouse gas levels can threaten public health and well-being.

Key Takeaways:

  • The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has released a 136-page report that contradicts the Trump administration's claims that subsequent research has "cast significant doubt" on the accuracy of the 2009 endangerment finding.
  • The report concludes that the original endangerment finding was accurate and has stood the test of time, with even stronger evidence now showing that rising greenhouse gas levels can threaten public health and well-being.
  • The report notes that multiple lines of evidence now show that human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation are producing greenhouse gases that are heating the planet, and that climate change is exacerbating a wide variety of health risks like intense heat waves and increased wildfire smoke.
  • The report also notes that climate-driven changes in temperature and rainfall patterns have led to negative effects on crops and less water availability in some places, among other disruptions.
  • The Trump administration's proposal to revoke the endangerment finding could have significant implications for future administrations' ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act.
  • The National Academies report was led by Shirley Tilghman, an emeritus professor of molecular biology and public affairs and former president of Princeton University.
  • The report includes a pledge from Dr. Tilghman to inform the EPA's decision-making process on the status of the endangerment finding.

Statistics:

  • 136 pages: the length of the National Academies report.
  • 2009: the year in which the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that planet-warming greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare.
  • 16 years: the amount of time since the original endangerment finding was made.
  • 2 dozen: the number of scientists on the committee that assembled the new report.
  • 85 scientists: the number of scientists who signed a statement disputing the Energy Department's analysis.
  • 100%: the percentage of Americans who are exposed to unhealthy air quality levels in at least one major city.
  • Trillions of dollars: the amount of money spent on greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act.

Sources:

  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2022). Assessing the Evidence for Climate Change.
  • Environmental Protection Agency. (2022). Endangerment Finding.
  • New York Times. (2022). Trump Administration's Climate Change Efforts Complicated by National Academies Report.