In 1856, American scientist Eunice Foote made history by publishing the first academic paper demonstrating that carbon dioxide traps heat from the Sun, a discovery that laid the foundation for climate science. Over the next 170 years, researchers have tested and built on that insight with the rigor of the scientific method, publishing hundreds of thousands of peer-reviewed studies that have not only affirmed Foote’s original finding but also revealed the grave consequences of unchecked greenhouse gas emissions.
The EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding was grounded in this extensive body of research. It formally recognized that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, providing the legal basis for regulating emissions under the Clean Air Act. The Trump Administration’s decision to repeal this landmark scientific and legal determination—despite the overwhelming evidence—is a rejection of established science, a denial of the struggles we are facing today, and a direct threat to our collective future.
AGU unequivocally condemns this reckless and senseless decision, which has global implications for human well-being and the environment. It ignores the overwhelming evidence of climate change’s mounting toll, from deadly heatwaves to rising sea levels, and undermines decades of hard-won progress in building a foundation for climate accountability. Worse still, it erodes public trust in the role of science to inform sound policy.
When the EPA first proposed dismantling the Endangerment Finding last July, citing a Department of Energy report that distorted and minimized the scientific consensus on climate change, AGU testified in opposition. Our members—experts in climate and health—rallied to submit public comments and signed our official letter denouncing the move. We stood then, as we do now, for scientific integrity and the primacy of evidence in public decision-making.
Though this is a grave setback for science and for the public it serves, the fight is not over. AGU will continue to advocate forcefully for policies rooted in evidence and ethics. We will mobilize our members, elevate our voice, and use every platform available to defend the scientific enterprise and safeguard the future of our planet and the well-being of all communities.