Latest news with #environmentalprotection
Forbes
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Forbes
EPA Climate Rollbacks: When Politics Buries Science, The Public Pays
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 20: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin testifies ... More before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment in the Rayburn House Office Building on May 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Zeldin testified on the fiscal year 2026 Environmental Protection Agency budget. (Photo by) Senator Mitch McConnell recently brushed off backlash from Republicans' Medicaid cuts, telling his colleagues that constituents would 'get over it.' The recently passed 'One Big Beautiful Bill' could strip health benefits from up to 17 million Americans—no small thing to 'get over.' But another Trump administration effort stands to harm the health of America's entire population – all 347 million Americans – and their future children and grandchildren. The administration has to proposed to revoke the two foundational pillars of United States climate policy: the Endangerment Finding, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's scientific determination that climate pollution endangers public health and welfare, and the Clean Car and Truck Standards, which will cut air pollution from transportation while saving American consumers hundreds of billions in fuel costs. Does the administration expect the entire nation to 'get over' that too? I fear most Americans don't fully understand the consequences of those two pillars being torn down. Science and Law Under Attack I served in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for over three decades, beginning in the Reagan administration. Despite ideological shifts, one principle endured: policy was grounded in science and the law. That principal is now at grave risk. The Endangerment Finding emerged from the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, which ruled that greenhouse gases are 'air pollutants' and that the EPA must regulate them if they endanger public health or the environment. After an exhaustive, peer-reviewed scientific process, EPA confirmed that danger in its 2009 Endangerment Finding. Every legal challenge to this finding has failed—including rulings by the D.C. Circuit Court in 2012 and 2023. EPA Administrator Zeldin now questions the science behind the Endangerment Finding and wants to revoke it. To revoke it, the EPA would need to provide new scientific evidence showing greenhouse gas pollution is not a danger. No such evidence exists. In fact, the science has only grown stronger. The United States is warming faster than the global average. Climate-linked disasters have become more frequent, more severe, and more expensive—hurricanes that wipe out towns in North Carolina, floods that kill hundreds in Texas, wildfires that turn homes into ashes. The cumulative cost of these escalating disasters since 1980 is a staggering $2.9 trillion. Americans are paying dearly—through higher insurance premiums, damaged infrastructure, destroyed communities, and the nearly 17,000 lives lost. The Clean Car Success Story at Risk I led the team that developed the EPA's first national vehicle greenhouse gas standards in 2010. I stood at the White House, as the auto manufacturers that my office worked hand in hand with, joined President Obama to support these rules. It was unprecedented: An entire industry agreed that policies to clean our air could drive innovation, create jobs, and save consumers money. The results speak for themselves. The most recent Clean Car and Truck Standards finalized under President Biden is estimated to deliver net benefits up to $1.6 trillion, prevent up to 2,500 premature deaths per year, and save consumers an average of $6,000 in fuel and maintenance costs per vehicle. These savings far outweigh any increase in upfront vehicle costs—at roughly a 4-to-1 benefit-to-cost ratio. The standards, combined with the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in 2022, have created over 200,000 new jobs and spurred ~$130 billion in new US investments in electric vehicle(EV) and battery manufacturing in the past five years. Administrator Zeldin claim that these standards amount to a hidden tax for US families. That is false. It is repealing these standards that will burden Americans—with higher fuel bills, rising insurance costs, dirty air, and climate-driven economic shocks. Without these rules, we'll burn many more gallons of oil, and cost the consumer as much as $890 billion more at the pump. While U.S. retreats, China and Europe are racing ahead. China already dominates the global EV market, accounting for over 60% and is expanding exports to key markets, including Europe, South America, and Mexico. The European Union continues tightening vehicle standards with EVs now accounting for 23% of new car sales compared to just 11% in the U.S. We're walking away from a global clean transportation market close to $10 trillion in 2025. Repealing these standards doesn't just raise emissions and fuel costs—it also cedes American leadership in a critical 21st-century industry. Real-World Consequences Rolling back these protections will have devastating human and economic costs. There will be more childhood asthma attacks, more heart disease, and more lives lost too early. Instead of providing economic relief, repeals would force American families to not only pay a hidden tax in higher fuel costs, but also in higher health costs, prohibitive insurance premiums, and expensive disaster-related expenses. IRA repeal alone could cost up to 130,000 net direct jobs across the U.S. EV industry by 2030, with potentially 440,000 total jobs lost when considering indirect effects. The automotive sector has invested hundreds of billions in U.S. engineering and manufacturing based on current policies – those investments are now largely in jeopardy. Without stable rules, American workers will be left behind, while competitors like China and the EU surge ahead. And perhaps most dangerously, repealing science-based policy on the grounds of unfounded legal claims and mischaracterized science sends a chilling message: that political expedience now overrides public health, environmental protection, and legal precedent. America Can't Afford to Walk Away The EPA's mission has not wavered since its founding 55 years ago: to protect public health and the environment. Its own analysis shows that the policies now under threat deliver hundreds of billions in net benefits and position the U.S. for long-term leadership. The science is clear. The legal foundation is sound. And the economic evidence is overwhelming. Repealing the Endangerment Finding and the Clean Car and Truck Standards would be more than regulatory backsliding—it would be a fundamental betrayal of the agency's duty to the American people. No, we can't 'get over' this action. Because our children deserve clean air, our workers deserve 21st-century jobs, and our planet can't afford anything less than American leadership.
Bloomberg
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
The $87 Trillion Bill That Comes From Denying Reality
You probably wouldn't set $87 trillion on fire to save $1 trillion. But then again, you probably aren't Administrator Lee Zeldin's Environmental Protection Agency. The now ironically named agency announced plans on Tuesday to renounce its 2009 finding that greenhouse-gas emissions are a danger to the public that needs regulation. As I wrote last week, this plan not only mocks established science, it also appears to be illegal, given the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA establishing the basis for this 'endangerment finding,' along with Congress writing the idea into law several times in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Zawya
Oman: Khareef Dhofar draws record crowds as experts call for sustainable eco-tourism
SALALAH: As Dhofar's landscape comes alive under the Khareef rains, drawing thousands of visitors to its mist-covered mountains and flowing springs, concerns are growing over the ecological toll of this seasonal influx. The 2025 Khareef Dhofar Season is shaping up to be one of the busiest in recent memory, with popular sites like Wadi Darbat, Ain Razat and Al Mughsail witnessing heavy footfall. While the monsoon transforms the region into a lush haven, local guides and environmentalists warn that unchecked tourism is placing unprecedented pressure on fragile natural ecosystems. 'Khareef Dhofar is not just a season — it's a living system', said an ecotourism guide near Ain Hout, one of the lesser-known springs in Qayrun Hiyarti. 'And it's asking for our respect'. More than 360 natural springs in Dhofar rely on consistent monsoon rainfall. In years of weak Khareef, water levels drop significantly and experts fear that increasing climate variability could worsen the situation. There are also growing calls to adopt a zoning model that classifies sites into conservation, eco-tourism and public use areas, ensuring a balance between access and protection. Even remote locations such as Shaat Viewpoint and Fazayah Beach are showing signs of wear—rutted trails, discarded plastic and rising insect populations, all suggesting environmental strain. 'Even the insects are messengers', noted one inspector. 'They tell us when nature is out of sync'. Cultural events are reinforcing the idea that environmental care is part of local heritage. 'Our ancestors lived in harmony with the land', said a craftswoman near Ain Sahalnoot.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour's delusional think tanks are making a bad situation worse
We need more rights for workers who fall sick, according to the Resolution Foundation this week. We need more protection for the environment before building homes according to the Wildlife Trust. And we need higher taxes on capital and wealth according to CenTax, a key adviser to the Chancellor. Over the past few weeks, the handful of think tanks that dominate Labour politics have been busier than ever. There is just one problem. They are all completely delusional. By constantly pushing pet Labour causes such as more workers' rights, more regulation and higher taxes, they keep shifting the party to the Left – and they are rapidly bankrupting the country. It has been another busy few weeks for the wonks who come up with the policy ideas that feed into the Government machine. The Resolution Foundation put out a report urging the Government to give more rights to workers on sick leave, and make it harder to fire people when they are off work on account of ill health. The Wildlife Trust, along with Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds and the National Trust, have been pressuring ministers to strengthen the protection of the environment as its planning reform bill goes through Parliament. Meanwhile CenTax, the tax research organisation that provided much of the inspiration for closing the non-dom rules, is as busy as ever with reports on reforming, otherwise known as increasing, inheritance tax and the levies on private equity, while the Fabian Society has been urging a £2,000 a year pay rise for care workers. Sure, it is perfectly possible to make a well-meaning case for any of the policies taken in isolation. Given that more than four million people, or 10pc of the working age population, are now on sickness benefits we probably do need to do more to encourage them back into work, and extra rights may well help with that. But what happens if a company is in deep financial trouble, needs to slim down the workforce, but can't lay off the people who have been off work with stress or anxiety for months? It won't be able to, and may go bust instead. We might all agree that individual species and the environment need to be protected. But planning reform is a flagship policy for this Government, and probably its only remaining chance of getting the economy growing again, and giving a handful of pressure groups an effective veto over what can and can't be built will kill that stone dead. CenTax still seems to be oddly influential within the Treasury given that last year its analysis was that abolishing non-dom status would raise a net £3.6bn for the Treasury, and not, as it turned out, that the flights to Dubai and the Caribbean would suddenly be packed with wealthy foreign entrepreneurs and investors fleeing Britain. Meanwhile, we would probably all like to see care workers get a pay rise, especially as we need to stop the sector relying so heavily on cheap, imported labour. But given that local councils, which pay most of the bills, are going broke all around the country, it is hard to work out who is going to pay the bills for that? The think tanks feeding ideas into the Government apparatus have become completely delusional. None of them appears to recognise for a single moment that the UK is rapidly going broke. Only this week, the latest tax and borrowing statistics made it clear just how precarious the country's financial position has become. The Government had to tap the markets for an extra £20.6bn in June, far more than expected, and the second-highest June figure since records began. Over the first three months of this financial year we have borrowed another £57bn, and are well on track to hit £200bn over the course of the full 12 months. If the economy remains stagnant, and even more non-doms flee, and many more companies decide to slim down their workforce because they can't afford the extra National Insurance charges (and the figures are already coming in at less than was forecast) then the total will easily hit £250bn and perhaps more. There is only one word for that. Broke. Yet Labour's policy outriders appear to be operating on a completely different planet. The Government still has plenty of money. There are plenty of taxes that can still be easily raised without hitting working people or damaging the economy. There is ample room to borrow more and, if the Government does, the investment will pay for itself with faster growth. Even worse, they have become dangerously embedded in the Starmer administration. Torsten Bell, who used to run the Resolution Foundation, is now the pensions minister. Many of the Cabinet are members of the Fabian Society, while others have made an effortless transition from the think tanks to the backbenches and then into government. And special advisers who dominate policy-making typically have a background in one think tank or another. It is a network of influence with deep roots. The British economy faces plenty of threats right now. Donald Trump's very public battle with the Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell may crash the stock market and destabilise the dollar. Tariffs may plunge the eurozone into a recession hitting our biggest export market. The Chinese economy may finally tank. Or, more plausibly, the slow grind of ever-increasing taxes and the burden of constantly rising regulation may well mean the UK faces 25 years of near-zero growth, much as Italy has over the last quarter of a century. But the biggest threat may well turn out to be the so-called policy experts dreaming up yet more plans for tax and spending. They have become a danger to economic stability. And at the rate at which they are currently churning out expensive, unrealistic proposals, very soon they will bankrupt the country.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is exploring a potential partnership with the Middle East Green Initiative, Colombo's envoy to Riyadh told Arab News on Saturday, as the island nation seeks to step up partnerships to combat climate change. Sri Lanka — home to 22 million people — is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is particularly at risk of extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought. On Monday, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh facilitated an introductory virtual meeting between its Ministry of Environment and the MGI secretary-general 'to explore potential ways and means for cooperation and partnership in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development,' according to a statement. Led by Saudi Arabia, the MGI was established in 2021 as a regional alliance aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change and forging collaborations to meet global climate targets in the region. 'The MGI is an important regional initiative spearheaded by Saudi Arabia in combating challenges posed by climate change. We are pleased to see Saudi Arabia is giving a great leadership role in promoting climate action and environmental protection,' Ameer Ajwad, Sri Lanka's envoy to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. Colombo is also keen to share its experience in climate resilience efforts. 'Sri Lanka is actively contributing to the global multilateral climate initiatives. Sri Lanka's expertise and rich experience in the field will be also useful for the MGI process for fostering environmental collaboration and advancing shared climate objectives,' Ajwad said. 'For example, Sri Lanka could contribute its expertise in the field of mangrove conservation and sea grass management, et cetera.' Sri Lanka has led several climate resilience efforts throughout the years, including restoration of its mangrove forests following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The country made a commitment to become the first to replant all of its mangrove forests — a goal the government sought to achieve by providing microloans and education to communities in exchange for mangrove conservation. In 2022, it launched the Sri Lankan Climate Prosperity Plan to attract foreign investment and accelerate climate adaptation while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
