Whenever a discussion about climate change arises, there is always a mention of greenhouse gas emissions that are supposedly contributing to global warming, leading many cities and towns to enact policies that reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. However, according to NPR, the Environmental Protection Agency has recently claimed that no such restrictions are needed, and it is planning, along with the current administration, to overturn the findings about gas emissions made in 2009.
The findings back in 2009 essentially presented the gas emissions being pumped into the air as a direct cause of global warming, which can be regulated under the Clean Air Act. However, these restrictions to reduce carbon dioxide have had effects on the country’s economy, creating job losses and high prices to make the shift from fossil fuels. Not only that, but the prevention of drilling these fuels has left America more dependent on other countries for fossil fuels. This is the issue Donald Trump wants to address, which he plans to do by having the EPA review its findings.
Not everyone is ok with revoking these findings. Many Environmentalists and scientists have come out to speak against this move, with most of them citing that the evidence is clear about the effects of gas emissions on the climate. Denying the science behind these findings would be a difficult obstacle for the Trump administration to dispute. Still, it has been claimed in the past that the actual number of emissions being created through power plants and other facilities is relatively small. Nothing has yet been confirmed about when they plan to overturn their findings.
