EPA Moves to Revoke Key Climate Finding

The Earth is a precious gift from God, and we are called to be good stewards of it. But a recent decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should make Christians wonder if we're living up to that important calling. 

This 2009 “endangerment finding” has been a guide for the EPA, helping them make regulations to reduce pollution from cars, factories, and other sources. But now, the EPA's administrator, Lee Zeldin, is calling for the cancellation of this key scientific finding, calling this move "the largest deregulatory action in the history of America."

What's at Stake?

Although Zeldin claims that cutting regulations “is expected to save Americans $54 billion in costs annually,” the EPA's own reports have shown that controlling pollution from cars and trucks could actually bring in a lot more net positive over the next 30 years. This includes $820 billion in fuel savings and $1.8 trillion in public health and climate benefits. 

This is especially important as the decision comes at a time when our planet is facing serious challenges from climate change. 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded, and we're seeing more powerful and damaging natural disasters. Since 2010, there have been hundreds of disasters that have cost over $1.7 trillion in damages and the lives of over 7,700 people.

As a result, Robert Howarth, an expert in ecology from Cornell University, said in a statement: “For the EPA to repeal the 2009 finding borders on criminal negligence." He explained that the science has been clear for a long time: climate change is a big and growing problem caused by burning fossil fuels, and it's dangerous.

The Science and Our Responsibility

Back in 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that greenhouse gases are a type of air pollution that the EPA can regulate (Massachusetts v. EPA). Two years later, based on strong scientific evidence, the EPA made its "endangerment finding," stating that these gases threaten our health now and in the future. A contributor of the 2009 finding said it was based on solid science and "has stood the test of time."

Despite this, the EPA is now questioning its ability to set rules for car emissions. They even plan to use a study that hasn't been fully peer reviewed by other scientists, which suggests greenhouse gases aren't as harmful to the economy as once thought.

Yet, little attention has been placed or addressed on the impact that rolling back regulations may have on our children’s health, both born and not born. Increased air pollution can lead to more asthma attacks and breathing problems in young children, whose lungs are still developing. It can also impact their overall health and how well they learn and grow. 

For babies still in the womb, their health is closely tied to the environment their mothers live in. Exposure to polluted air or harmful substances during pregnancy could potentially affect their development before they are even born, leading to health issues later in life, including risks like low birth weight and even changes in brain development.

Our Call to Action

The good news is that regulations that have been in place for years have worked. The data, proof, and record is all there. Today, cars pollute 24% less than they did in 2011. Additionally, tougher rules put in place in 2024 were expected to stop 7.2 billion tons of pollution by 2055 and save $13 billion annually in health costs.

However, the EPA is choosing to ignore all these facts and instead cut regulations for power plants and encourage more use of fossil fuels, while promising to roll back other environmental protections. Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator, said the current EPA is "putting the safety of our loved ones at risk."

As Christians, we are reminded in the Bible (Genesis 2:15) that God put us on Earth “to work it and take care of it." This means we have an important job: to be good stewards of the environment so that everyone from the elderly to our children can enjoy God’s creation.