In Washington, the Trump administration is aiming to overturn a critical determination that links climate change to endangering human health and welfare. However, scientists argue that the evidence for the worsening impacts of global warming is all around to see.
Recent studies, alongside an increase in extreme weather events, further highlight the damage climate change is causing globally, according to 11 scientists who are experts in health and climate. They emphasized the findings published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and expressed the need for the Trump administration to substantiate its stance with science.
“There is simply no scenario where greenhouse gases do not pose a significant threat to public health,” stated Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Brown University. Cobb explained that the fundamental physics of global warming clash with basic human physiology and biology, revealing the inadequacies of current infrastructure to shield us from escalating climate-induced extremes.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Initial Finding
Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has been discretely working with the White House to reconsider the agency’s conclusion that greenhouse gases warming the planet endanger the public. The original 52-page determination made back in 2009 serves as a foundation for regulating emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, attributed to the consumption of fossil fuels.
“Carbon dioxide is fundamentally a dangerous air pollutant. The health evidence was robust when the EPA made its endangerment finding in 2009, and it has only intensified since,” commented Dr. Howard Frumkin, a University of Washington public health professor who was previously appointed to lead the National Center for Environmental Health. Frumkin added, “Currently, CO2 pollution is causing severe heatwaves, storms, spreading infectious diseases, mental health issues, and a multitude of other preventable human sufferings and deaths.”
The science-backed evaluation from 2009 highlighted that climate change was impactful on air quality, food production, forests, water ready supply, sea levels, and basic infrastructure, among others.
Further Decades of Growing Harm Evidence
A decade later, scientists reviewed the previous findings through research published in the journal ‘Science.’ They discovered an enhanced confidence across most categories previously identified, reinforcing the mounting threat to humanity. The harmful impacts were notably worse than initially predicted in areas dealing with public health, water, food, and air quality.
In addition, the research identified four new areas where climate change is causing harm, involving national security, the economic well-being of nations, violence, and ocean acidification. The team pointed to statements from Trump’s previous defense secretary and studies highlighting potential economic losses due to climate change-induced warming.
Chris Field, chief of Stanford University’s environment program and co-author of the 2019 assessment, stated that the scientific basis for the 2009 endangerment finding is now substantially stronger. “Complex evidence from numerous studies shows the well-mixed greenhouse gases pose undeniable risks to public health and welfare,” he said.
Health Consequences of Climate Change Highlighted
“Globally, consensus holds that climate change represents the greatest threat to both health and healthcare systems,” expressed Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency physician from Canada. Howard mentioned several repercussions of climate change including heat-induced illnesses, aggravated respiratory problems from wildfire smoke, cardiovascular conditions, as well as impacts on crops leading to hunger and conflicts.
According to Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington expert, a significant but underreported issue arises from how increased CO2 levels impact plants, reducing their protein, vitamins, and nutrients content by 85%. This has far-reaching implications for public health because essential nutrients in wheat or rice reduce under high CO2, by as much as 30% in B-vitamins and 10% in protein.
The indirect repercussions of these shifts on human health are “far-reaching, comprehensive, and devastating,” asserted Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist from Texas Tech University. Rising levels of carbon dioxide can even negatively impact cognitive functions, she added.
Critics suggest that the Trump administration will face significant hurdles to substantiate their standpoint with credible science negating the threat greenhouse gases pose to humanity.
“This situation presents itself as one where the science cannot be disputed—they will pursue alternate legal avenues,” remarked Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University climate scientist.
