Ignoring Greenhouse Gases Emissions Endangers Us All

The impacts of climate change are popping up all around us – continued extreme heat in parts of the country, extreme storms brewing in others, and wildfire smoke a continued risk. It’s no secret that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been taking steps to weaken rules that protect us against climate change when they should be strengthening them. But one EPA action under consideration goes even farther: it seeks to stop the agency from regulating the pollution that causes climate change altogether.

In 2009, EPA issued what’s called the Endangerment Finding, a landmark conclusion that greenhouse gases pose serious risks to public health and welfare. That conclusion was based on extensive scientific evidence. The Endangerment Finding is the basis for EPA rules requiring cars, trucks and power plants to emit fewer greenhouse gases.

Unfortunately, EPA is now in the process of repealing the Endangerment Finding, disregarding peer-reviewed research and the law. Eliminating this foundation of climate protection would magnify the threats posed by climate change and the resulting health crises. These risks are not abstract; they are immediate, escalating, and deeply personal for every family, every community and every generation both present and to come.

The Risks of Greenhouse Gases

EPA’s Endangerment Finding was not made lightly. It was built on an overwhelming body of scientific evidence showing that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, driving global warming and climate change. The evidence also demonstrated the direct and indirect harm these pollutants pose to human health.

The Endangerment Finding became the legal backbone that supported the need for EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars, power plants and other major sources. Without it, the harm of unregulated climate pollution would grow largely unchecked by the federal government.

At the heart of this issue is the science of greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane and other gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating what is often described as a “blanket” around the planet. Burning fossil fuels – like coal and methane gas in power plants, gasoline in cars and diesel in trucks – adds more of these gases into the atmosphere, destabilizing climate systems.

The impacts of greenhouse gases are wide-ranging, including some that directly affect the lungs:

• Ozone Pollution: Warmer temperatures lead to prime conditions for the formation of ground-level ozone, a key component of smog. Ozone triggers asthma attacks, worsens lung diseases like COPD and increases the risk of premature death. This especially affects children, older adults and people with preexisting conditions.
• Particle Pollution: Climate change increases conditions for wildfires, which send harmful particle pollution into the air, affecting nearby communities and even communities thousands of miles away. These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and contribute to heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and premature death.
• Extreme Heat: Heat waves are one of the deadliest weather hazards. They put outdoor workers, people in urban heat islands, and those without access to cooling in significant danger.
• Extreme Storms and Flooding: More extreme storms and more flooding pose immediate dangers, and people with lung disease and other chronic conditions can face additional challenges accessing the care they need, especially if they have to evacuate. Cleaning homes from flooding can also expose people to mold and other dangers.

The burdens of climate change are not distributed equally. The impacts of air quality made worse by climate change can affect many people disproportionately. Children are uniquely vulnerable to polluted air, as their lungs are still developing. Exposure to ozone and particle pollution can slow lung growth and trigger asthma attacks. Older adults face higher risks of cardiovascular and respiratory problems from polluted air and extreme heat. People with chronic illnesses such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes are put at greater risk when climate change worsens air pollution or triggers heat waves.

Climate change amplifies existing health risk and can widen disparities in poor health outcomes. Communities that are already overexposed to pollution also tend to be disproportionately at risk of climate-driven health threats.

• Carbon dioxide might be invisible and odorless, but its impact is undeniable. Every ton released into the atmosphere increases the risks to human health and puts more communities in harm’s way.

What Happens If the Endangerment Finding Is Rescinded?

Overturning the Endangerment Finding would mean rolling back EPA’s fundamental ability to address climate pollution.

That would create several layers of danger, including

1. Regulatory Danger: Along with proposing to eliminate the Endangerment Finding, EPA is proposing to eliminate, weaken and delay a wide range of climate protections (vehicle standards, power plants, emission reporting, etc.) That would mean fewer protections against the sources that pump millions of tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year.
2. Public Health Danger: Without these protections dangerous pollutants would climb, worsening smog, fueling more asthma attacks, and driving more hospital visits, medical costs, and premature deaths. According to the Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report, millions of Americans already live in counties with failing grades for air quality.
3. Climate Danger: Greenhouse gases and global temperatures are already rising at dangerous rates. The result of taking away the Endangerment Finding would accelerate climate change, fueling more extreme weather, more wildfires, more flooding and more widespread danger to communities.

Danger Should Drive Action, Not Paralysis

The science is clear: carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases endanger public health. The law is clear: EPA has both the authority and the responsibility to act when pollution poses a threat. And the stakes could not be clearer: if the Endangerment Finding is undermined, the health and future of millions of Americans will be put at risk.

Everyone deserves clean air and a safe climate. The word “endangerment” reminds us that harm is not just possible but imminent unless we act. EPA should be not only keeping the Endangerment Finding in place but setting and implementing strong standards to reduce emissions and shield Americans from the threats posed by greenhouse gases. Even if the agency rescinds the finding, the truth remains: our health and our climate are inseparably linked.

Raise your voice in support of keeping this critical finding in place.