In brief
The Trump administration's decision to revoke an EPA finding from 2009, which identified climate change as a threat to public health, has sparked significant backlash. Numerous studies over recent years document the harmful effects of climate change, attributing thousands of deaths and health issues to rising temperatures. Experts assert that this rollback undermines established scientific consensus and presents a dangerous disregard for the documented health consequences of climate change.
The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a scientific finding that climate change poses a public health risk, a stance that President Trump has previously referred to as a ‘scam.’ Despite the administration’s position, numerous studies affirm the serious, documented dangers posed by a warming planet, including escalating diseases and deaths globally due to increased heat-related incidents.
Originally established under the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2009 finding laid the groundwork for various regulations aimed at combating climate change. Since then, thousands of scientific studies have corroborated the link between climate change and significant health hazards, noting particularly the rise in heat-related mortality.
For instance, a study published in JAMA reveals that heat-related deaths in the U.S. have more than doubled over the past two decades, with the count hitting a record high of 2,325 in 2023. Similarly, researchers examining global heat-related deaths attributed over one third of those fatalities to human-induced climate change.
The increase in research surrounding climate change and its health impacts has been substantial, with over 29,000 peer-reviewed studies since climate change's classification as a public health threat. Dr. Howard Frumkin, a prominent public health expert, emphasized that the multitude of evidence clearly shows the health risks associated with climate change.
As public concern grows and with increasing evidence of climate's impact on health — including respiratory diseases, heat stress, and vector-borne diseases — the Trump administration’s rollback not only contradicts scientific data but also risks public health for future generations.
