As of February 2026, the Trump Administration revoked the 2009 EPA policy known as Endangerment Finding. 

The Endangerment Finding policy is a part of the Clean Air Act that legally regulates the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are a threat to public health and welfare, as GHGs are known to cause respiratory issues in humans and animals, as well as a major contributor to global warming. Under the policy, the EPA was legally required to address the pollution that resulted from GHGs, including a shift to electric vehicles and limiting emissions from power plants. This policy acted as the basis for the government’s ability and power to regulate GHG emissions. 

The Trump Administration’s reasoning for removing this policy was in favor of auto-mobile industries and other factories, in the hopes that these companies would save money on production. 

However, the consequences of removing this act go much deeper than just money, and will affect all the consumers who purchase from these companies. 

With this policy removed, decade-long efforts made by organizations, including the EPA, to combat climate change will fall to insignificance. For one, human health is at risk without this policy. The air will be filled with excessive carbon dioxide, making it difficult for people with pre-existing lung conditions, such as asthma or COPD to breathe. In addition, people are more likely to develop respiratory issues. Excessive GHGs in the atmosphere contributes to the Arctic ice melting, which then contributes to global sea levels rising. GHGs make for a hotter and drier climate, which means it is easier for fires to start and spread in already dry areas.  

Besides the consequences, it is clear that this policy, which was efficient for decades and made substantial political and environmental progress towards reversing the effects of climate change, was revoked with no other thought in mind other than money. 

This act does not only affect America, it is a global climate crisis. Without the Endangerment Policy, GHG emissions are not regulated, meaning that the amount of GHGs could double within a year, speeding up the process of climate change and global warming. 

Under a 2015 Paris Treaty Agreement, almost every nation attempted to lower their carbon emissions in an attempt to slow down global warming. This national effort not only made progress towards a greener future, but a healthier future. However, the Trump Administration withdrew the United States from this agreement. 

Seminole High School (SHS) student in the IB program, Anshika Pinnamaraju, states that it is important to protect the environment because “the environment affects us so much, and any kind of change affects the the air, the water, and everything in the environment is important to us too. The government’s job is to help the people and contribute to helping the environment. By helping the environment, they are also helping the people.” Another SHS student, Deeksha Kamesh, believes it is important “for our future generations and we should protect something that has served us so well, and it was here long before us, so we should not harm it and instead protect and nourish it.”

Although the revoked policy is final, the EPA still has the ability to reinstate the policy. In theory, if enough members of the agency publish new research proving that GHGs are a huge threat to human health, then a possible court ruling could reinstate the policy after a re-evaluation of the damage that revoking this policy will create. However, this will take effort. The future may not look green now, but with enough support, it is hopeful it will.