Why We All Need the EPA to Keep Protecting Us from Climate Pollution

You might have seen the news this week about efforts to strip the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its power to regulate climate pollution. If you're wondering what that actually means for you and your family, it's pretty straightforward: it would take away one of our main tools for protecting Americans from the climate disasters we're already living through.

Here's what's happening. Some leaders want to revoke what's called the "endangerment finding"—basically the scientific determination that gives the EPA the authority to regulate heat-trapping pollutants like carbon dioxide. They're not arguing the science is wrong (because frankly, it's rock solid). Instead, they're claiming the EPA was never supposed to have this power under the Clean Air Act.

If they succeed, the EPA couldn't take action on climate pollution anymore. Even more worrying, all the existing protections would be wiped out too. Science tells us we need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts. While we have made a lot of progress over the last 10 years, with around a 17% decrease in emissions, we are still far from reaching the 50% goal in the next 5 years.

This is affecting real people, right now. We're not talking about some far-off problem anymore. Climate change is happening in American communities across the country—regardless of political affiliation. And it’s going to get worse if we stop implementing the solutions that can make it better.

Maybe you've watched the news coverage of the massive wildfires that destroyed lives in California, wiping out entire towns. Or the floods in Texas that broke records and devastated communities.   That’s not to mention the yearly hurricanes that become bigger every year, affecting places like North Carolina which never experienced the extreme impacts of these storms before.  These aren't random occurrences anymore—they're becoming the new normal.  As I write, I am suffering through yet another heat wave this summer, which feels like it started in May. While I am hoping that everyone’s air conditioners will not  knock  out the power grid, I am most worried about the most vulnerable people in my community: elderly folks who can't afford air conditioning, kids whose schools don't have proper ventilation, families who can't just pick up and move to escape the heat.

Taking away the EPA's ability to address climate pollution would leave us defenseless against threats that are only getting worse. With all of this mounting damage, you'd think clean air and a safe environment would be something every American could get behind.  In fact, a 2020 study from Pew Research Center found that about two-thirds (65%) of Americans felt the federal government was doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change. And back when Congress wrote—and later when it amended—the Clean Air Act, lawmakers from both parties stood behind protecting public health from pollution of all kinds.

And they were smart about how they set it up. Instead of trying to list every possible pollutant that might threaten us, they used broad language and let EPA scientists figure out what needed regulating based on the evidence. The rule was simple: if a pollutant "may reasonably be anticipated to endanger" human health or welfare, the EPA should take action. This approach made sense because Congress knew new threats would emerge over time. They wanted the EPA to be able to respond quickly—before problems became full-blown health crises.

The Supreme Court looked at this question and agreed that greenhouse gases clearly fit within the Clean Air Act's definition of "air pollutant." When the EPA issued its endangerment finding in 2009, it was based on years of careful scientific analysis.

In 2009, that year was the second-hottest on record. Today? It doesn't even crack the top 10. This past year was by far the hottest we've ever recorded, and it brought climate disasters that cost Americans more than $182 billion and killed 568 people.

Let that sink in for a moment. Since 1980, weather and climate disasters have cost our country nearly $3 trillion. These aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet—they represent real families who lost everything, communities that are still rebuilding, lives that were cut short. Meanwhile, climate scientists keep telling us the same thing: human activities are "unequivocally" driving these changes, and the impacts are happening faster than we expected.

We need to put politics aside and protect the places where we live, work, and raise our families. It really comes down to a simple question: do we want to trust the science and protect American families, or do we want to ignore the evidence and hope for the best? The endangerment finding is our recognition that climate pollution is a real threat that needs real solutions. Clean air and a stable climate aren't luxuries; they're basic things every American family deserves.

Eliminating EPA's climate authority right now would be like throwing away our umbrella in the middle of a storm. Future generations are counting on us to make the right choice here. Let's not let them down.